At St. Joseph’s, our intent is for all pupils to become fluent, confident and enthusiastic writers who can communicate ideas effectively and creatively for a range of purposes and audiences.

We aim to develop pupils who:

  • Write with fluency and imagination
  • Engage readers and convey meaning clearly
  • Take pride in their writing and presentation
  • Develop confidence, resilience and self belief as writers
  • Understand how writing skills are used in real world contexts and future careers

Through our Writing curriculum, pupils learn to value writing as a powerful form of communication, creativity and expression, with clear links to education, culture, entertainment and employment.

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Key Writing Concepts

Throughout the school, pupils develop the following core writing skills:

  • Write with purpose and audience in mind
  • Use imaginative description and precise vocabulary
  • Organise writing clearly using paragraphs and structure
  • Use sentences effectively for clarity and impact
  • Present work neatly and accurately
  • Spell and punctuate accurately
  • Analyse and reflect on writing choices
  • Share and discuss writing confidently with others

Implementation

Writing is taught through clearly structured, carefully sequenced units of work, ensuring progression and consistent expectations across the school.

Oracy at the Heart of Writing

Oracy is embedded throughout all writing lessons. Pupils regularly:

  • Discuss and explore ideas before writing
  • Rehearse sentences orally
  • Explain choices using subject specific vocabulary
  • Listen to and build on the ideas of others

This strong emphasis on talk supports vocabulary development, sentence structure and confidence, enabling pupils to articulate ideas before committing them to writing.

Two Week Writing Cycle

Each unit of writing follows a two week cycle, focused on a specific genre or text type, allowing pupils to develop depth and quality in their writing.

Across the cycle, pupils:

1. Immerse in high quality texts

  • Read and discuss model texts
  • Identify structure, language features and author techniques
  • Use talk to explore purpose, audience and effect

2. Grammar, punctuation and spelling in context

  • Explicit teaching linked directly to the genre
  • Oral rehearsal used to support understanding and accuracy

3. Plan, write and edit

  • Shared and independent planning
  • Drafting with opportunities for reflection and improvement
  • Editing supported through discussion and feedback

4. Reading comprehension linked to the genre

  • Comprehension activities reinforce language, structure and meaning
  • Reading and writing are explicitly connected

Writing and Careers

Explicit teaching of career links is embedded within writing units.

Pupils learn how strong writing skills are used in real world contexts and are introduced to careers such as:

  • Authors and novelists
  • Journalists and reporters
  • Scriptwriters and playwrights
  • Editors and publishers
  • Advertising and marketing professionals
  • Bloggers, content creators and digital writers

These discussions help pupils understand the purpose and relevance of writing, raise aspirations and demonstrate how writing skills are transferable across many professions.

 

Impact

By the time pupils leave St. Joseph’s, they will be:

  • Confident, articulate writers who can explain their choices clearly
  • Able to write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences
  • Secure in grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary
  • Resilient writers who reflect, edit and improve their work
  • Aware of how writing skills support future learning and careers

Pupils leave St. Joseph’s with a secure foundation in writing, underpinned by strong oracy and a clear understanding of writing as both a life skill and a gateway to future opportunities.