Writing

Within primary, we follow the Ready Steady Write programme from Literacy Counts, a research-informed and impact-proven approach that supports children in developing the foundational skills needed for effective writing. The programme is carefully sequenced to ensure pupils build knowledge and confidence over time, enabling them to write with increasing independence for a clear audience and purpose.

Through high-quality, vocabulary-rich texts, pupils are immersed in engaging literature that offers meaningful and compelling reasons to write. Carefully selected texts expose children to ambitious vocabulary, varied sentence structures and a wide range of genres, inspiring them to develop their own authorial voice.
Writing is explicitly taught through a range of effective approaches, including:

• Modelled writing, where teachers demonstrate the thinking and decision-making involved in the writing process;
• Shared writing, where pupils collaborate with adults and peers to develop ideas and compose text.
• Guided practice, allowing pupils to apply newly learned skills with support;
• Independent writing, where children demonstrate and embed their learning;
• Editing and improving, helping pupils reflect on and refine their work to improve clarity, accuracy and impact.
• Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary are taught in context, ensuring pupils understand how these elements enhance meaning and effectiveness in their writing.

At West Kirby School and College, we recognise that strong spoken language underpins successful writing. As a proud Voice 21 school and member of the North West Oracy Group, we place a strong emphasis on the development of oracy across the curriculum.

Children are encouraged to explain, discuss and justify their ideas, while also learning to listen actively and respond thoughtfully to others. Through structured talk opportunities, drama, storytelling and vocabulary exploration, pupils develop the confidence and language skills needed to organise and articulate their ideas before transferring them into writing.

Teachers explicitly teach and revisit ambitious vocabulary, ensuring key words are embedded across lessons and used meaningfully by pupils. All children receive regular constructive feedback on their speaking and listening skills to support effective communication and written expression.

For pupils in Years 2 to 6 who read accurately and fluently, we use the Read Write Inc. Spelling programme to develop confident and accurate spellers.
Weekly spelling lessons help pupils to:

• understand word families and spelling patterns;
• explore how prefixes and suffixes affect root words;
• learn spelling rules and exceptions;
• develop strategies and mnemonics to remember challenging spellings.

The spelling of common exception words is regularly revisited, and pupils are encouraged to practise targeted spellings both in school and at home to support retention and application in their writing.

At West Kirby School and College, handwriting is recognised as an essential part of literacy and is developed across all areas of the curriculum. We follow the Read Write Inc. Handwriting Programme, supporting pupils through a structured progression from accurate letter formation to fluent, confident and legible handwriting. While handwriting is currently taught explicitly in Primary lessons, all staff reinforce high expectations for presentation and the consistent application of handwriting skills across all subjects. Selected secondary English lessons will soon also include explicit handwriting instruction. 

We are also developing a Fine Motor Control Toolkit Library to further enhance pupils’ readiness for writing. Each toolkit will provide engaging, age-appropriate activities that strengthen hand muscles, improve coordination and refine the dexterity needed for effective handwriting. These resources will be used during shared reading sessions across the school, enabling pupils to develop the physical foundations of writing as they listen to high-quality texts. Alongside this initiative, ongoing staff training will provide teachers with further guidance on handwriting expectations, progression and best practice, ensuring a consistent approach that enables every learner to build confidence, independence and success in written communication.