Writing
At Roberts, we believe that writing is a fundamental skill that empowers children to communicate, create, and connect with the world around them. Our aim is for every child to leave our school as a confident, capable, and independent writer who not only understands the importance of writing within wider society but also engages positively and purposefully in the process.
We intend for our pupils to:
• Write with fluency and stamina, developing the ability to sustain writing across a range of contexts.
• Communicate effectively in both fiction and non-fiction, writing with clarity and creativity for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Draw upon a rich exposure to high-quality literature, learning to “read as writers and write as readers,” imitating, adapting, and applying structures, techniques, and stylistic devices.
• Demonstrate accuracy and control, ensuring their work is well presented, punctuated, and correctly spelt, while making use of an ambitious vocabulary and a strong authorial voice.
• Approach writing as a reflective process, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proof-reading to continually refine and improve their work.
• Take creative risks, showing originality, imagination, and critical awareness in their writing.
Our curriculum is deliberately ambitious, inclusive, and enriching. By the time they leave us, we intend for pupils to be equipped with the writerly skills, independence, and confidence needed to thrive in Key Stage 3 and beyond.
Implementation
Composition:
At Roberts, we teach writing through the Talk for Writing (TfW) approach. This method helps children to grow into confident, creative, and independent writers by following the way they naturally learn. It works closely alongside our reading curriculum, with both strengthening one another.
Through Talk for Writing, children move step by step from learning by example to creating their own independent pieces. They are immersed in high-quality texts, given opportunities to practise specific skills, and encouraged to take risks with their writing. Oracy (speaking and listening) is at the heart of the process, supporting all children, including those who are learning English as an additional language.
Our aim is that, by the time children leave us, they see themselves as writers—able to express their ideas with confidence, creativity, and accuracy, ready to thrive in the next stage of their education.
There are three stages that make up the Talk for Writing approach:
We intend for our pupils to:
• Write with fluency and stamina, developing the ability to sustain writing across a range of contexts.
• Communicate effectively in both fiction and non-fiction, writing with clarity and creativity for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Draw upon a rich exposure to high-quality literature, learning to “read as writers and write as readers,” imitating, adapting, and applying structures, techniques, and stylistic devices.
• Demonstrate accuracy and control, ensuring their work is well presented, punctuated, and correctly spelt, while making use of an ambitious vocabulary and a strong authorial voice.
• Approach writing as a reflective process, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proof-reading to continually refine and improve their work.
• Take creative risks, showing originality, imagination, and critical awareness in their writing.
Our curriculum is deliberately ambitious, inclusive, and enriching. By the time they leave us, we intend for pupils to be equipped with the writerly skills, independence, and confidence needed to thrive in Key Stage 3 and beyond.
Implementation
Composition:
At Roberts, we teach writing through the Talk for Writing (TfW) approach. This method helps children to grow into confident, creative, and independent writers by following the way they naturally learn. It works closely alongside our reading curriculum, with both strengthening one another.
Through Talk for Writing, children move step by step from learning by example to creating their own independent pieces. They are immersed in high-quality texts, given opportunities to practise specific skills, and encouraged to take risks with their writing. Oracy (speaking and listening) is at the heart of the process, supporting all children, including those who are learning English as an additional language.
Our aim is that, by the time children leave us, they see themselves as writers—able to express their ideas with confidence, creativity, and accuracy, ready to thrive in the next stage of their education.
There are three stages that make up the Talk for Writing approach:
Imitation
Innovation
Independent Application
The Imitation Stage of Talk for Writing
The imitation stage is the first phase of the Talk for Writing approach. Its purpose is to help children internalise a model text so they can draw on its language patterns, structure, and vocabulary when they later innovate and invent their own writing.
Key features:
• Oral Retelling: Children learn the text by heart using storytelling, actions, and repeated practice.
• Reading as a Reader – Vocabulary: Learning the meaning of key vocabulary in the text with the ultimate aim of using the vocabulary independently.
• Reading as a Reader – Comprehension: Engaging in high-quality discussions about the model text and other extracts with a similar focus. The purpose is to immerse children in language and ensure they understand the vocabulary used within the model text.
• Sentence-Level Work: Children revise sentence structures taught in previous units of work and year groups, and learn how to form and manipulate more complex sentence structures.
• Reading as a Writer – Boxing Up: Identifying the underlying structure of the model text. This is essential in order to be able to innovate and create something new.
• Reading as a Writer – Toolkit: Identifying the tools used by writers to create particular effects.
Innovation
Independent Application
The Imitation Stage of Talk for Writing
The imitation stage is the first phase of the Talk for Writing approach. Its purpose is to help children internalise a model text so they can draw on its language patterns, structure, and vocabulary when they later innovate and invent their own writing.
Key features:
• Oral Retelling: Children learn the text by heart using storytelling, actions, and repeated practice.
• Reading as a Reader – Vocabulary: Learning the meaning of key vocabulary in the text with the ultimate aim of using the vocabulary independently.
• Reading as a Reader – Comprehension: Engaging in high-quality discussions about the model text and other extracts with a similar focus. The purpose is to immerse children in language and ensure they understand the vocabulary used within the model text.
• Sentence-Level Work: Children revise sentence structures taught in previous units of work and year groups, and learn how to form and manipulate more complex sentence structures.
• Reading as a Writer – Boxing Up: Identifying the underlying structure of the model text. This is essential in order to be able to innovate and create something new.
• Reading as a Writer – Toolkit: Identifying the tools used by writers to create particular effects.
These include how writers use dialogue, create atmosphere, and describe settings and characters.
• Short-Burst Writing: Writing in short bursts to apply sentence and toolkit work to their own writing.
The Innovation Stage of Talk for Writing
The innovation stage is the second phase of the Talk for Writing approach. Its purpose is to give children the chance to adapt and change a model text while still relying on its familiar structure.
• EYFS and Year 1: Children make simple changes to the existing model text, such as changing characters and settings, adding extra descriptive details, and/or adding an extra part to the story. They plan by drawing new pictures on their existing memory jogger and immediately rehearse their new story. Children then work under the guidance of a teacher to write sentences linked to their story. By the end of Year 1, some children will be able to record their whole story. At this stage, the priority is securing foundational knowledge and skills.
Therefore, what children write will often be more simplistic than what they can produce orally.
• Short-Burst Writing: Writing in short bursts to apply sentence and toolkit work to their own writing.
The Innovation Stage of Talk for Writing
The innovation stage is the second phase of the Talk for Writing approach. Its purpose is to give children the chance to adapt and change a model text while still relying on its familiar structure.
• EYFS and Year 1: Children make simple changes to the existing model text, such as changing characters and settings, adding extra descriptive details, and/or adding an extra part to the story. They plan by drawing new pictures on their existing memory jogger and immediately rehearse their new story. Children then work under the guidance of a teacher to write sentences linked to their story. By the end of Year 1, some children will be able to record their whole story. At this stage, the priority is securing foundational knowledge and skills.
Therefore, what children write will often be more simplistic than what they can produce orally.
• Year 2 upwards: Children plan using the “Boxing Up” planner. Innovation becomes increasingly sophisticated as they move through school. Teachers model how to turn a plan into a piece of writing, and children then have a go at writing their own stories using the work from the imitation stage and the teacher’s model for guidance.
By the end of the innovation stage, all children, regardless of age, will have innovated and created something new based on the model text. This stage bridges the gap between copying a model and creating original writing. It helps children practise within a safe structure, giving them the confidence and skills to progress towards independent application.
The Independent Application Stage of Talk for Writing
The independent application stage is the final phase of the Talk for Writing process. At this point, children use everything they have learned from the model text and the innovation stage to plan and create their own original piece of writing.
Key features:
• Independent Planning: Pupils generate their own ideas, using the same planning tools as in the innovation stage.
• Original Writing: Children write in the same genre as the model but apply their own characters, settings, events, or subject matter.
• Authorial Voice: Pupils make independent choices about vocabulary, style, and structure, showing their growing confidence as writers.
• Sustained Writing: Longer, more polished pieces of work are produced, demonstrating stamina and resilience.
• Assessment Opportunity: Teachers can see how well pupils have internalised language patterns, grammar, and genre features without scaffolds.
This stage allows children to demonstrate independence and creativity, applying the skills and structures they have practised to produce a complete piece of writing. It provides evidence of progress and shows readiness for the next level of challenge.
Handwriting
At Roberts, we use the Kinetic Letter handwriting programme.
The programme focuses on ensuring that children’s handwriting is automatic so that all of children’s focus can be on communicating what that want to write!
The programme is systematic and cumulative. Children are taught and revise writing position, optimal pencil hold, letter formation (including numbers and capital letters) and characteristics including spacing between words. Through the programme, children develop flow and go on to join when appropriate.
Spelling
In EYFS and Key Stage 1 children are taught to spell through the Little Wandle programme.
By the end of the innovation stage, all children, regardless of age, will have innovated and created something new based on the model text. This stage bridges the gap between copying a model and creating original writing. It helps children practise within a safe structure, giving them the confidence and skills to progress towards independent application.
The Independent Application Stage of Talk for Writing
The independent application stage is the final phase of the Talk for Writing process. At this point, children use everything they have learned from the model text and the innovation stage to plan and create their own original piece of writing.
Key features:
• Independent Planning: Pupils generate their own ideas, using the same planning tools as in the innovation stage.
• Original Writing: Children write in the same genre as the model but apply their own characters, settings, events, or subject matter.
• Authorial Voice: Pupils make independent choices about vocabulary, style, and structure, showing their growing confidence as writers.
• Sustained Writing: Longer, more polished pieces of work are produced, demonstrating stamina and resilience.
• Assessment Opportunity: Teachers can see how well pupils have internalised language patterns, grammar, and genre features without scaffolds.
This stage allows children to demonstrate independence and creativity, applying the skills and structures they have practised to produce a complete piece of writing. It provides evidence of progress and shows readiness for the next level of challenge.
Handwriting
At Roberts, we use the Kinetic Letter handwriting programme.
The programme focuses on ensuring that children’s handwriting is automatic so that all of children’s focus can be on communicating what that want to write!
The programme is systematic and cumulative. Children are taught and revise writing position, optimal pencil hold, letter formation (including numbers and capital letters) and characteristics including spacing between words. Through the programme, children develop flow and go on to join when appropriate.
Spelling
In EYFS and Key Stage 1 children are taught to spell through the Little Wandle programme.
In Key Stage 2, we use the Sounds and Syllables programme.
At Roberts, we have a sentence progression document which outlines the specific sentence structures that are taught in each in year group. Sentence structures are explicitly modelled by teachers and children then complete activities which increase in complexity with the ultimate aim of them using the sentences independently and accurately in their own writing.
Foundational knowledge and skills
At Roberts, we know that it is essential that children are explicitly taught the foundational knowledge and skills needed to be successful. This is why in EYFS and Key Stage 1, a greater amount of time is spent focusing on the teaching of handwriting, phonics and sentence level knowledge compared to in Key Stage 2 when this is secure and there is a greater focus on composition.
Impact
To ensure that our writing curriculum has the intended impact, teachers use ongoing formative assessment to adapt teaching and provide targeted support so that every child can achieve their potential.
Writing is moderated regularly within year groups and across the school, with staff meetings and pupil progress reviews used to check consistency and accuracy of judgements. The English Lead quality assures writing standards as part of this process.
Teachers are supported by high-quality assessment materials, including Herts for Learning guidance and, in Year 2 and Year 6, the Teacher Assessment Frameworks (TAF) and exemplification materials. These ensure our judgements are robust and nationally consistent.
Assessments:
• Diagnostic assessments (Cold Task) and then the use of the cold capture sheet.
• The Independent Application task(s) – Hot task which is completed by pupils at the end of each unit
• Pupil voice and surveys will help us understand how children perceive themselves as writers and value writing.
• Half termly moderation writing within school led by the English leader
• Cross moderation with local schools.
At Roberts, we have a sentence progression document which outlines the specific sentence structures that are taught in each in year group. Sentence structures are explicitly modelled by teachers and children then complete activities which increase in complexity with the ultimate aim of them using the sentences independently and accurately in their own writing.
Foundational knowledge and skills
At Roberts, we know that it is essential that children are explicitly taught the foundational knowledge and skills needed to be successful. This is why in EYFS and Key Stage 1, a greater amount of time is spent focusing on the teaching of handwriting, phonics and sentence level knowledge compared to in Key Stage 2 when this is secure and there is a greater focus on composition.
Impact
To ensure that our writing curriculum has the intended impact, teachers use ongoing formative assessment to adapt teaching and provide targeted support so that every child can achieve their potential.
Writing is moderated regularly within year groups and across the school, with staff meetings and pupil progress reviews used to check consistency and accuracy of judgements. The English Lead quality assures writing standards as part of this process.
Teachers are supported by high-quality assessment materials, including Herts for Learning guidance and, in Year 2 and Year 6, the Teacher Assessment Frameworks (TAF) and exemplification materials. These ensure our judgements are robust and nationally consistent.
Assessments:
• Diagnostic assessments (Cold Task) and then the use of the cold capture sheet.
• The Independent Application task(s) – Hot task which is completed by pupils at the end of each unit
• Pupil voice and surveys will help us understand how children perceive themselves as writers and value writing.
• Half termly moderation writing within school led by the English leader
• Cross moderation with local schools.
