Intent

At Phoenix Infant Academy, we promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of spoken and written language. We strongly believe writing is a key life skill and want children to:

• Acquire a vast vocabulary range to support their writing
• Have an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for writing and spoken language
• Have an understanding of how to adapt their writing depending on the context, purpose and audience.
• Use discussion in order to learn, elaborating and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.

Implementation

At Phoenix Infants, we use Talk for Writing. This is an engaging teaching framework based on the principles of how children learn. Children are fully immersed in texts and explicitly taught how to compose a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts as well as poetry. 

All focal texts are high-quality and carefully selected to engage children; texts are relatable to the children and encompass a range of writing styles. These texts are then used for children to internalise through the imitation stage. In the innovation stage, children are supported to write with increasing independence through being taught the structure of a piece of writing, its key features and grammar. Teachers use a range of techniques, such as shared and modelled writing, role plays and rehearsal to engage and inspire the children. In the final stage, the independent application, children are given the opportunity to apply the writing skills they have developed as they build up to the writing outcome of the unit. In this phase, children ‘write as a reader’ - they are encouraged to make clear choices about planning, creating and improving their own writing; understanding what response they wish to evoke in the reader and how to achieve this. 

Impact

By the time the children reach the end of our writing curriculum, they will have:

• Experienced a rich variety of the finest literature
• Written in a range of text types and for a variety of different audiences and purposes
• Amassed a varied vocabulary which they can use across the curriculum 
• A love for writing
• The confidence to share their ideas through engaging in meaningful discussions about their own work and the work of others.

For further information, please contact English Lead, Miss B. Austin, on 01753 521888 or post@phoenixinfants.uk.