Writing & Handwriting

Writing Intent

It is our intention at Crowan Primary School that every child will be a competent and enthusiastic writer for a variety of different purposes, using grammar and punctuation accurately. They will be able to use rich language developed from their wide range of reading to ensure the text types meet the needs of the audience that is intended.

Writing in the Early Years

In our Reception class, we engage and encourage children to develop their fine and gross motor skills, their mark making and their writing skills.

The indoor and outdoor learning environments and activities and resources provided to children support them to become motivated and confident writers. Adults in the early years model writing in a range of ways to children and children are encouraged to write during play and in focused/whole class activities. Children are taught the basics of writing (how to hold a pencil and correct letter formation), they are given opportunities to practise their writing skills and then apply their writing skills to a range of writing forms.

At Crowan Primary School, we believe that when communicating ideas in writing it is important that children use a handwriting style which is neat and legible.

The importance of handwriting should not be under-estimated. It is vital that children can write quickly, comfortably and legibly as it is a skill needed in many curriculum areas. Children`s self-esteem is also heightened when they are able to take pride in their handwriting. At Crowan School, we use the 'Letter-Join' programme to teach handwriting from Reception to Year 6. 

Aims and Objectives:

• To provide equal opportunities for all pupils to achieve success in handwriting
• To enable pupils to produce clear, concise, legible handwriting
• To enable pupils to present neat work to a variety of audiences
• To enable pupils to develop accuracy and fluency in their handwriting
• To encourage the children to recognise that handwriting is an important form of communication
• To promote confidence and self- esteem in written communication
• To encourage children to take pride in their work
• To display neatly presented work around the school as a model of excellence for others to aspire to
• To encourage children to recognise handwriting as a life-long skill

Early Years/Key Stage 1 provision:

In Early Years, children participate in a wide range of multi-sensory activities in order to develop fine and gross motor skills.

In Early Years/Key Stage 1, children should be taught to:

• Hold a pencil correctly and adopt the correct posture when writing
• Write from left to right and from top to bottom of the page
• Start and finish letters correctly, using a letter patter
• Form regular sized and shaped letters
• Use regular spacing between letters and words
• Be aware of the need for clear and neat presentation
• Take a pride in their written work

Key Stage 2 provision:

At Key Stage 2 children should:

• Be given opportunities to continue to develop legible handwriting in both printed and cursive styles
• Be encouraged to develop greater control and fluency
• Be taught to use different forms of handwriting for different purposes e.g print for labelling maps or diagrams
• Be encouraged to take pride in their written work and select appropriate styles of presentation

Writing in KS1 and KS2

Children in KS1 and KS2 use a wide range of texts as their stimulus for writing which have been carefully mapped out to ensure coverage and exposure to a range of different texts and authors. Each half term, children will write a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.