Bearing fruit in writing

At Dagnall C of E we strive to ensure every child 'bears fruit' in writing through:

• seeing themselves as a writer
• having a firm grasp of grammar and punctuation appropriate for their year group, and beyond
• forming letters accurately, fluently and with a consistent style
• understanding a range of genres and the features needed to write in different scenarios
• showing high quality writing in a range of subjects
• using a wide range of vocabulary to express themselves through fiction and non-fiction writing

Writing is taught using the 'Herts for Learning' planning scheme. Genres are taught in a two year rolling programme using high quality texts. Writing is a priority across the curriculum and children are expected to write equally well in other subjects as much as English. 

Bearing fruit in spelling

At Dagnall C of E we strive to ensure every child 'bears fruit' in spelling through:

• using phonics as the prime strategy for spelling words accurately
• knowing what they should be thinking/doing when trying to spell (segment, say as I write, spot patterns, spot the tricky part, using syllables)
• showing they can spell words appropriate for their age in all writing tasks
• noticing the tricky part of a word
• understanding about and using etymology (the origin of words) and morphology (smallest units of meaning eg. roots, stems, prefixes, suffixes)
• understanding where to find support with their spelling (word mats, dictionaries, displays)

Spelling is taught discreetly and reinforced during English lessons daily. The progression of skills for their year group is followed, with individual children receiving support for key words. We focus first on the first 16 words, then the first 45, then the first 100. We are mindful that children need to master these key words and provide individual word mats and resources to support them with this.

Spelling errors are picked up during writing tasks, with a focus on the key words, with strategies to support the individual. Any child who needs intervention in addition to classroom teaching receives 'precision teaching' by a trained Teaching Assistant.