Leader: Miss Evans

At Greenfields, we believe that writing is one of the most important and rewarding skills we can help your child develop. Writing is not just something children do at school — it is a way of sharing ideas, expressing feelings and communicating with the world. We want every child to grow into a confident, capable writer who understands why they are writing, who they are writing for and how to make their writing as effective as possible. We give children exciting, meaningful reasons to write and encourage them to develop their own individual voice, using the brilliant books they read as inspiration for their own work.

How do we teach writing?

We know from research that what makes the biggest difference to children's writing is high-quality teaching combined with plenty of opportunities to practise. The Education Endowment Foundation — an independent organisation that reviews the best available evidence on what works in education — tells us that children make the strongest progress when they are taught clear strategies for planning, drafting and improving their writing, and then given the time and support to put those strategies into practice. That is exactly the approach we take at Greenfields, and it runs through every year group in Key Stage 1 and 2.

To bring this to life in the classroom, we follow the basic principles of Talk for Writing, a well-evidenced approach developed by literacy expert Pie Corbett that places talk, reading and writing in a clear, purposeful sequence.

Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI2OWdZo6nY

Each unit of work moves through three stages:

Immersion: Children are introduced to a high-quality text and really get to know it — reading it, discussing it, performing it and exploring how it works. Crucially, a great deal of this stage happens out loud. Before children put pen to paper, they rehearse the language of the text through talk — retelling stories, using drama strategies, repeating phrases and experimenting with vocabulary verbally. Research tells us that children write most confidently when they have already internalised the language they need, and this spoken rehearsal is one of the most effective ways to make that happen.

Innovation: Children begin to make the text their own, working with their teacher to change, adapt and build on what they have read — trying out ideas together before writing more independently. This is where they learn how to use different writing techniques to impact the reader.

Independent Writing: Children apply everything they have learnt to create their own original piece, making their own choices about language, structure and content to create impact on the reader.

This carefully sequenced approach means that by the time children write independently, they feel genuinely prepared, supported and ready to succeed in a range of different fiction and non-fiction genres.

Getting the basics right

We strive to make sure that children have a strong grasp of the basics — handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Getting these right from the start makes a real difference. When children in the early years learn to form their letters correctly, spell common words confidently and begin to understand how sentences work, it frees them up to focus on expressing their ideas as they get older, rather than struggling with the mechanics. Our teaching takes guidance from the National Curriculum Writing Framework (2025) to ensure that every child develops these essential skills in a logical, well-sequenced way as they move through school.

Handwriting

Fluent, automatic handwriting may seem like a small thing, but it makes a big difference to how well children can write. The National Curriculum Writing Framework (2025) is clear that when letter formation becomes effortless, children can focus their thinking on what they want to say rather than on the physical effort of forming each letter. This is why we teach handwriting carefully and consistently from the early years onwards, helping children build the speed, accuracy and stamina they need so that, as they get older, their handwriting never gets in the way of their ideas.

We follow the Magic Link programme for our handwriting. Please follow the link to learn more or ask your child’s teacher for more information: Magic Link Handwriting Programme | Improve Handwriting Fast

Spelling

Confident, accurate spelling allows children to write fluently without losing their train of thought. The National Curriculum Writing Framework (2025) emphasises that when spelling becomes automatic, children are free to concentrate on the content and quality of their writing, rather than getting stuck on how individual words are spelt. This is why we teach spelling systematically throughout school, building children's knowledge of patterns, rules and common words so that, over time, spelling becomes second nature rather than a barrier to expressing their ideas.

We follow the Ed Shed spelling programme throughout school. Your child will be given their own login, allowing them to complete weekly challenges and play engaging games that reinforce their spelling at home. Just a few minutes a day can make a real difference to their progress — and children consistently tell us how much they enjoy it! Follow this link to find out more, or speak to your child’s teacher: Parent Guide for Spelling Shed

What can you do at home?

There are lots of simple things you can do at home to help your child become a more confident writer — and most of them take only a few minutes.

• Encourage any writing at all — shopping lists, birthday cards, notes to family members, a diary or even a story for fun all count. The more children write, the more confident they become.
• Let them see you write — when children see the adults around them writing notes, messages or lists, they understand that writing is something real people do every day, not just something that happens at school.
• Talk about their ideas before they write — if your child has a piece of writing to do for homework, chat about it first. Talking through ideas out loud helps children organise their thoughts before putting pen to paper.
• Read together regularly — children who read a lot naturally pick up vocabulary, sentence structures and ideas that feed directly into their writing. Any reading helps, whatever the format.
• Praise the content, not just the presentation — when your child shows you their writing, respond to what they are saying first. Enthusiasm for their ideas goes a long way towards building the confidence they need to keep writing.
• Ask your child's teacher — if you are unsure what your child is working on in writing or how best to support them at home, please do ask. We are always happy to help!