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Writing

Reception
In Reception, writing development is deeply intertwined with communication and language skills, forming a strong foundation for literacy. Children begin by identifying sounds in words and representing them with corresponding letters, fostering early phonetic awareness. As they explore new vocabulary, they apply it in different contexts, enriching their expressive abilities. Their storytelling and event descriptions grow more detailed, supported by an expanding use of connectives to link ideas seamlessly. Developing grammatical accuracy, they refine their use of irregular tenses and plurals, ensuring clearer communication. Writing progresses as they construct short sentences using known sound-letter correspondences, applying capital letters and full stops correctly to signal sentence boundaries. Reviewing their own writing helps them understand coherence and meaning, reinforcing self-checking skills. Additionally, forming lower-case and capital letters correctly enhances their handwriting fluency. Story retelling plays a crucial role in literacy growth—through familiar narratives, children gain confidence in both repeating text verbatim and expressing ideas in their own words. Ultimately, articulating thoughts in well-formed sentences ensures a strong linguistic foundation, preparing them for more advanced communication and writing tasks ahead.
Year One

In Year 1, pupils develop foundational writing skills that support both grammatical accuracy and narrative composition. They learn to apply plural noun suffixes (-s and -es) and verb suffixes where the root word remains unchanged, strengthening their understanding of word formation. Exploring the prefix un- helps them recognize how meaning can shift in verbs and adjectives. Structuring sentences correctly becomes a key focus, as they practice combining words, leaving appropriate spaces, and joining ideas using and. Through sequencing sentences, they begin to form short, coherent narratives that enhance storytelling ability. Capitalization rules are reinforced, ensuring proper use for names, places, days of the week, and the pronoun I. Punctuation skills advance as they correctly apply full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks. Before writing, pupils verbalize their ideas, composing sentences orally to organize their thoughts. Re-reading their work allows them to refine coherence and clarity, while discussions with teachers and peers encourage reflection on their writing choices. Finally, reading their work aloud strengthens their confidence in communication, ensuring their ideas are expressed clearly and fluently.

Year Two

In Year 2, pupils refine their writing skills by expanding their grammatical and compositional knowledge. They begin forming nouns using suffixes such as -ness and -er, alongside compound words like whiteboard and superman, helping them understand word construction. Their adjective usage becomes more sophisticated as they apply suffixes such as -ful and -less, while comparative and superlative forms (-er, -est) deepen their descriptive ability. The introduction of -ly turns adjectives into adverbs, supporting more varied sentence structures. Writing becomes increasingly detailed with expanded noun phrases, allowing for richer descriptions (the blue butterfly, plain flour, the man in the moon). Pupils also strengthen their use of subordination (when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (or, and, but), improving sentence complexity. They develop confidence in using different sentence types—statements, questions, exclamations, and commands—enhancing both clarity and impact. Mastery of present and past tense ensures grammatical consistency, while the progressive verb form highlights ongoing actions (she is drumming, he was shouting). Their punctuation skills advance with the correct use of capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas in lists, and apostrophes for contractions and singular possession (the girl’s name). Writing stamina builds through various tasks, including narratives, poetry, and real-event recounting, reinforcing purpose-driven writing. Pupils practice planning aloud, organizing ideas, and composing sentence by sentence to ensure structure and flow. Reviewing, editing, and discussing their work with peers and teachers helps refine their writing, while proof-reading ensures accuracy in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Finally, reading aloud with intonation fosters expressive communication, reinforcing both fluency and confidence in their written voice.

Year Three
In Year 3, pupils further develop their writing skills by expanding their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. They begin forming nouns using prefixes such as super-, anti-, and auto- while refining their understanding of a and an based on vowel and consonant sounds. Their ability to express time, place, and cause strengthens through the use of conjunctions (when, because, after), adverbs (then, therefore, soon), and prepositions (before, during, because of), helping them construct more detailed sentences. Structuring their ideas becomes increasingly sophisticated as they group related thoughts into paragraphs and use headings and sub-headings to aid presentation. They also refine their verb usage, transitioning to the present perfect tense (He has gone out to play) where appropriate. The introduction of inverted commas supports their ability to punctuate direct speech accurately. Planning plays a key role in their writing, as pupils analyze the structure, vocabulary, and grammar of model texts before discussing and recording ideas. They draft compositions by rehearsing sentences orally, building a richer vocabulary, and incorporating a wider range of sentence structures. Narrative writing becomes more immersive with character, setting, and plot development, while non-narrative pieces utilize clear organizational features like headings and sub-headings. Editing and evaluation skills take on greater importance, as pupils assess their writing’s effectiveness, refine grammar and vocabulary, proof-read for errors, and read their work aloud with controlled intonation and expression to enhance clarity. These combined skills ensure pupils produce more structured, purposeful, and expressive writing.
Year Four

In Year 4, pupils refine their grammatical accuracy and writing fluency, strengthening their ability to communicate ideas with clarity and cohesion. They learn to distinguish between plural and possessive -s, ensuring correct usage in their writing. Standard English verb forms are reinforced, helping pupils move away from informal spoken variations (we were instead of we was). Their descriptive skills expand as they modify noun phrases with adjectives, nouns, and prepositional phrases (the strict maths teacher with curly hair), allowing for richer expression. Sentence structures become more sophisticated with multi-clause sentences, incorporating a wider range of conjunctions such as when, if, although, because. Organisational skills are enhanced as pupils group ideas into paragraphs and use headings and sub-headings to improve clarity. The use of fronted adverbials (later that day, I heard the bad news) strengthens sentence variety and cohesion, supported by the correct placement of commas. They refine their punctuation further by using apostrophes to indicate plural possession (the girls’ names) and mastering the conventions of direct speech with inverted commas (The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”). Writing development extends beyond grammar, with pupils actively planning compositions by discussing structure, vocabulary, and grammar in similar texts. Drafting involves oral rehearsal, vocabulary enrichment, and varied sentence structures, alongside narrative elements such as character, setting, and plot. Non-narrative writing benefits from clear organizational features like headings. Evaluative skills improve as pupils assess their writing’s effectiveness, suggest refinements for grammatical and vocabulary consistency, and proof-read for accuracy in spelling and punctuation. Reading their work aloud with appropriate intonation ensures that meaning is conveyed clearly and confidently, fostering their ability to communicate effectively.

Year Five
In Year 5, pupils refine their writing by exploring more advanced grammatical structures and cohesive techniques. They learn to convert nouns and adjectives into verbs using suffixes (-ate, -ise, -ify), expanding their word-building skills, while verb prefixes (dis-, mis-, re-) help them modify meaning with greater precision. Sentence complexity increases through the use of relative clauses (who, which, where, when, whose, that), enriching descriptions and adding depth. Narrative and non-narrative writing are structured around a clear theme, with cohesion strengthened by linking devices such as adverbials of time (later), place (nearby), and number (secondly). Pupils develop control over tense choices to connect ideas fluidly (he had seen her before). Modal verbs (might, should, must) and adverbs (perhaps, surely) help them express degrees of possibility. Mastering the passive voice allows them to manipulate sentence focus (I broke the window vs. The window was broken), adding sophistication to their writing. Punctuation becomes more nuanced, with commas used to clarify meaning and parenthesis indicated through brackets, dashes, or commas. Writing is planned with a clear audience and purpose in mind, integrating ideas from reading and research. Drafting includes enriching vocabulary, enhancing sentence variety, and structuring narratives with compelling settings, characters, and atmosphere. Dialogue is effectively incorporated to drive character development and action. Pupils practice précising longer passages to refine clarity and conciseness, applying various cohesion devices and organizational features. Evaluation and editing focus on refining vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation to improve clarity and impact. Maintaining consistent tense, subject-verb agreement, and appropriate register ensures writing remains polished and purposeful. Proofreading reinforces accuracy, while reading aloud strengthens fluency and expression.
Year Six

In Year 6, pupils refine their writing by mastering formal structures and advanced grammatical techniques. They learn to recognize vocabulary suited for formal speech and writing, including the subjunctive form (If I were, Were they to come), strengthening their understanding of register and tone. Sentence structure becomes increasingly sophisticated with cohesive devices such as repetition, adverbials, and ellipsis, ensuring fluidity across paragraphs. Pupils develop greater control over the passive voice to manipulate sentence focus (I broke the window vs. The window was broken), improving stylistic choices. The correct use of semicolons, colons, and dashes allows them to mark clause boundaries clearly (It’s raining; I’m fed up), while punctuation techniques, such as hyphens, prevent ambiguity (man-eating shark vs. man eating shark). Layout devices, including bullet points and structured formatting, support clarity in writing. Planning becomes more deliberate, as pupils identify their audience and purpose, integrating ideas from reading and research. Their drafting process emphasizes precise grammar and vocabulary choices, vivid descriptions of settings and characters, and the integration of dialogue to develop narrative progression. Non-narrative pieces benefit from strong organizational devices. Editing focuses on refining consistency in tense, subject-verb agreement, and distinguishing between spoken and written language. Pupils assess the effectiveness of their writing, adjusting register where needed and proofreading for spelling and punctuation errors. By the end of Year 6, they demonstrate confidence in producing structured, expressive, and purposeful writing that is well-suited to different contexts and audiences.