Writing

If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write - Martin Luther King

At Higher Openshaw Community School, we believe that writing is a vital skill that enables children to communicate effectively, explore ideas and engage with the world around them. Our writing curriculum is carefully designed to develop confident, skilled and enthusiastic writers through a structured writing journey that provides clear progression from the Early Years to Year 6.

Writing is inspired by high-quality texts, rich experiences and meaningful contexts. Children are immersed in carefully chosen model texts which allow them to explore audience, purpose, structure and language choices. Through discussion, drama, oral rehearsal and shared reading, pupils develop the knowledge and vocabulary needed to become successful writers.

Our writing process follows a clear sequence which can be found below.  Throughout this journey, teachers explicitly model the writing process, enabling pupils to understand how successful writers make decisions about language, structure and organisation.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught both explicitly and within meaningful writing contexts so that pupils can apply their learning independently. Children are encouraged to plan, monitor and evaluate their own writing, developing the metacognitive skills needed to become reflective and resilient writers.

Handwriting is taught systematically through the Martin Harvey Achieving Excellence in Handwriting programme. Through regular practice, pupils develop fluent, legible and increasingly automatic handwriting skills, supporting them to write confidently across the curriculum.

Our aim is for every child to leave Higher Openshaw as a capable, creative and independent writer who can communicate with clarity, accuracy and confidence.

The Writing Process at Higher Openshaw 

Progression in Writing