Writing  at Whitemoor

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”  ― Maya Angelou

Writing at Whitemoor follows a coherent and clear sequence. Across a Unit of Work, children are expected to be engaged in the following seven phases of learning so that they make progress:
• Immerse (including explicit vocabulary instruction)
• Skills
• Analyse
• Thinking/Planning
• Write
• Review
• Publish

We believe that all these phases are essential in order for children to be explicitly taught the skills required to be successful writers. It is our aim that by the end of a writing unit, all children will be able to write a coherent piece of writing which has a clear audience and purpose in mind.

The Whitemoor writing curriculum focuses on the skills outlined in the National Curriculum and it is our ambition that children will leave our school prepared for secondary school and beyond. Units of work may appear to be very different - fiction or non-fiction, novel based, ‘topic’ based, picture or film based - but at the heart of all units is a strong structure which supports children in producing high-quality writing.

We equip our children with the essential skills of transcription (spelling and handwriting), alongside the craft of composition. They also learn the processes of planning, editing and reviewing. Our approach is grounded in strong oracy, ensuring that pupils encounter a rich and ambitious range of vocabulary that they are encouraged to understand, use and experiment with in both spoken and written contexts. We teach vocabulary explicitly through direct instruction and recognise the value of daily opportunities for children to expand and refine their personal lexicons

For more information, including detailed information about writing in reception and the Writing Sequence, please see links at the bottom of this page. 

Reading lies at the heart of everything we do and underpins the broad, balanced curriculum we offer at Whitemoor. Raising pupils’ attainment in reading is a priority for every member of the school staff, as is developing a love of reading.  We understand the key connections between successful readers and wider life opportunities that a love of reading can offer. At Whitemoor, we understand that children must be taught the five foundations of reading – which include Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

Through a structured approach to teaching reading once children have completed Little Wandle phonics we ensure children have the necessary knowledge and skills to respond to texts. Introduced to the children as “Reading APPs”, we explicitly teach the following key reading skills:

• Retrieval
• Sequencing and summarising
• Effect on the Reader 
• Reasoning
• Comparing (making links)
• Vocabulary
• Inference and Prediction
• Explanation
• Fluency
• Book Talk to develop the love of reading

During whole class reading lessons, children hear, share and discuss a range of high quality texts.  These individual lessons have a clear focus taken from the Reading APPs. Each term children are taught reading skills through the genres of: fiction, non-fiction, picture books and poetry to allow breadth of coverage.

It is recognised that reading comprehension relies heavily on knowledge and our broad curriculum aides reading comprehension by ensuring that children gain the knowledge of the world in which they live and bring such knowledge to their reading.

Reading for Pleasure:

At Whitemoor, we believe reading for pleasure is a fundamental right and we believe that in fostering a "reading for pleasure" ethos, moving beyond skills-based reading, ensures every child experiences the joy, escapism, and knowledge that books provide. We are committed to fostering a vibrant reading culture where children have free choice, access to diverse texts, and dedicated time to immerse themselves in books, stories, and information. 

Our Commitment to Reading for Pleasure

• Choice & Agency: Pupils are empowered to choose their own reading material, fostering independence and enjoyment in reading fiction, non-fiction, comics, and poetry.
• A Culture of Reading: We aim to cultivate a school-wide community of readers, where reading is celebrated, shared, and discussed, making it an engaging part of daily life.
• Parental Partnership: We work closely with families to promote the importance of reading at home, encouraging shared reading experiences.
• Well-being & Achievement: We recognise that reading for pleasure not only boosts academic attainment but also enhances emotional and social development, with research showing it is linked to better mental health. 

Spelling:

Pupils at Whitemoor follow the principles of the Jane Considine Spelling Book programme from Y2 onwards. Teaching consists of a combination of investigations and short activities that explore and revisit both the spelling rules and the statutory spellings for each phase. There is no weekly spelling test; however, teachers will ask children to quick write the GGG words from the previous week when time permits.

In class, teachers teach spelling for 50 minutes a week:

Week 1:

• Investigation (30 minutes) Children have a hypothesis to test – they sort words into a table in their books and prove or disprove the hypothesis. Children are expected to write a sentence to conclude their investigation.
• Go Grapheme Grafters (GGG) (20 minutes) Teachers share 15 words (taken from the National Curriculum spelling rules and statutory spelling words for the phase) with the class. They sound them out reinforcing the phonics teaching from Key Stage 1. Children identify the sound that has the trickiest grapheme e.g. s = ce or n = gn and together the class identify up to 4 words with the same sound = grapheme combination.

Week 2:

• Children are given 5 x 10 minute daily activities that revisit a wide range of strategies / patterns / rules that enable children to make connections between words. Children complete these activities at the back of the book.