Writing Intent

At Lyng Primary School, we understand that writing is a fundamental skill that supports all areas of the curriculum and is essential for life beyond the classroom. Our goal is to develop each child's ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, to a range of audiences and to inspire a love of writing. We aim to equip them with a strong understanding of grammar,

punctuation and spelling as well as text structures and audience.
Through our use of the Word Aware approach and immersive opportunities, we endeavour to create a language-rich environment that broadens our children’s’ repertoire and helps them to express their thoughts and ideas clearly. This clarity in turn allows pupils to edit and improve their own work and take pride in the presentation of their writing.

Below is the link to our Writing Policy for teaching and learning at Lyng. It provides an overview for how the subject is taught.

To allow pupils to communicate orally and write effectively they must have access to a broad vocabulary, therefore as a school we have adopted the Word Aware approach to teaching vocabulary. Vocabulary is selected across the curriculum for the pupils, it is then taught as part of writing session and in other subjects. Pupils are taught about their use of ‘Goldilocks’, ‘Anchor’ and ‘Step On’ vocabulary. Pupils are then encouraged to apply this new vocabulary in their writing which is acknowledge in gold (as per the marking policy) and then reviewed through retention quizzes using the word wallets (there are word wallets in classrooms for all subjects).

At Lyng Primary School we know that learning outside the classroom can have a powerful impact on children's writing. Being immersed in nature or exploring the local environment stimulates curiosity, creativity and imagination in ways that a classroom sometimes cannot. For this reason, when planning our writing units we look for opportunities to use the environment around us. Real-life experiences provide rich vocabulary and meaningful contexts for writing, helping children to craft more vivid descriptions. Outdoor learning also supports collaboration, discussion and speaking skills, which strengthen ideas before they are written down. 

Below, we have showcased some examples of this.

In today’s English lesson, Year 4 took their learning outdoors to demonstrate their understanding of homophones. Pupils were tasked with locating various homophones and deciding which sentences they would appropriately fit into. This hands-on approach not only reinforced their grasp of the topic but also made learning enjoyable and interactive.

"We enjoyed having chance to move around between each word - it gave us time to think!"

In Year 5, the children recreated the famous Lindow Man by drawing around a member of their group and using historical evidence to add accurate details. This hands-on activity helped them think like writers and formed the basis of their coroner’s reports, one of which we have attached for you to read.

"Being in the hall, meant we could draw round someone and it gave us more space to write our ideas and visualise what happened."

"I liked being in the hall, as it meant we could have more people in our group and work better as a team."

At our school, we celebrate exceptional work through our "Golden Token" initiative. When children have produced outstanding pieces of writing, they have been rewarded with a golden token. This token can be used in our special vending machine, where they have the exciting opportunity to select a book of their choice as a prize. This not only motivates pupils to strive for excellence in their writing but also fosters a love for reading by allowing them to choose stories that truly interest them. We believe this initiative inspires creativity and encourages a lifelong passion for literacy.