“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic." Carl Sagan

Curriculum Intent:

At St Peter’s, pupils learn to write by securing transcription, sentence construction and rich vocabulary so that they can communicate ideas clearly and purposefully for a range of audiences.

Our curriculum is built around high-quality, carefully selected texts (which reflect our diverse school community) that expose pupils to rich language, varied narrative structures and a diverse range of voices and cultures. These texts provide the stimulus for reading, writing, discussion, drama and debate, ensuring that pupils develop both a deep appreciation of literature and a strong command of language. Our text choices are deliberately planned to broaden pupils’ cultural capital and reading repertoires, including classic literature, traditional tales and significant works such as Macbeth in Upper Key Stage 2.

Through this text-driven approach, pupils develop the knowledge and skills required to become successful writers. They are explicitly taught the key components of writing, including secure transcription (spelling and handwriting), sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary development and composition. These elements are carefully sequenced so that pupils build knowledge progressively from EYFS through to Year 6.

Oracy is a fundamental part of our curriculum. Pupils regularly engage in discussion, debate, drama and oral rehearsal, enabling them to articulate ideas clearly and develop the vocabulary needed for effective writing.

Our aim is that all pupils leave St Peter’s as confident readers, articulate speakers and purposeful writers who can communicate effectively for a range of audiences and purposes, drawing on a rich literary heritage and a wide vocabulary.

Impact:

Through high-quality teaching and clear progression in language and writing, pupils develop the ability to write clearly, accurately and coherently across a range of genres and subjects. They understand how writers craft language and use this knowledge to shape their own writing. Pupils write purposefully to entertain, inform and persuade, carefully considering vocabulary, sentence structure and the impact on the reader.

Writing is applied across the curriculum so that pupils see themselves as authors in a variety of contexts, and their work reflects increasing independence, creativity and control of language. Regular monitoring ensures that standards remain high and that all pupils are supported to make strong progress in English.