Priority 1

Priority 1 - To improve pupils’ written English skills by developing their accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and spelling, while also broadening their vocabulary choices to strengthen overall written communication.

Current Context -

From book reviews, we have noted that we need to focus on the children's basic skills in writing.
Activities to develop fine manipulative skills such as dough disco have been completed in Early Years but the cohort of children in Years 1 and 2 require further development of this.
Writing targets were implemented in the last academic year and will be continued.
From using the Youngs Spelling assessment termly to assess spelling ages vs chronoligical ages, this shows that most children's spelling is below their chronological age.

Evidence to support the need for the Priority -

Book Review suggests that we need to focus on basic skills initially.
Spelling Age assessment information.

Areas for Development;

Teaching and Learning for English basic skills which include letter formations, grammar, punctuation and spelling.
To create a basic skills English checklist from Nursery to Year 6 which shows progression.

We will be successful if;

Pupils written skills show accuracy in terms of letter formation, grammar, punctuation and spellings.

Designated Leads –

Claire Berry, Sarah Roberts & Sian Monk

Designated Governor -

Isabel Kirkham & Christine Cunnah

Action

Cost

Source

Timescale

Success Criteria

Evidence

Teaching and Learning

To create a fine manipulative activity resource.

Supply

C.B & S.R

February 2026

Age appropriate fine manipulative activities to develop

Seesaw evidence of children developing fine manipulative activities.

2. To create basic skills English checklists to support teaching and learning.

Supply

C.B & S.R

December 2025

Developmentally appropriate basic skills checklist shared with all teachers for consistency.

Whole School Basic Skill Checklists

3. Review targeted lessons that focus on one element at a time (e.g., commas, apostrophes, common spelling patterns).

Supply

C.B & S.R

February 2026

Effective focused learning sessions that focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Learning Walk and Book Review

4. Research

Supply

C.B & S.R

February 2026

Effective focused learning sessions that focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Learning Walk and Book Review

4. Provide varied writing tasks where pupils must apply taught grammar and vocabulary.

Teaching Staff

January 2026

Effective focused learning sessions that focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Learning Walk and Book Review

5. Train pupils to identify errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling in their own and peers’ work.

Teaching Staff

March 2026

Pupils have the basic skill awareness to be able to support their peers.

Book Review

6. To create a resource of spelling strategies.

C.B & S.R

March 2026

Staff are aware of different support and guidance to support their teaching and learning.

Spelling learning tasks and workbooks.

Wellbeing, Care, Support and Guidance

7.Share tips and resources with parents to support grammar, spelling, and vocabulary at home.

C.B & S.R

February 2026

Spelling Cafe - Parents are aware of different support and guidance to support their child's teaching and learning.

Parent Questionnaire to be sent prior to the event for their views.

Leading and Improving

8. To review the effectiveness of Read, Write, Inc Spelling programme.

Supply

C.B & S.R

January 2026

Is Read, Write, Inc Spelling effective and having a postive impact on pupils learning?

Learning Walk

9. To research effective spelling resources.

Resource cost if any.

C.B & S.R

January 2026

Identified resources have been sought in order to aid the teaching and learning of spelling.

Research

9. Regularly review pupils’ writing progress through portfolios or writing journals.

C.B & S.R

March 2026 onwards

Clear progression in writing skills from Nursery to Year 6.

Writing Portfolio

Milestones

Autumn

S.R and C.B attended the Book Fizz Helen Bowen project, gaining valuable insights into developing high-quality writing opportunities through rich texts. Key messages and strategies from the session have been shared with all teaching staff to support consistency of practice across the school.
Planning has begun for the January whole-school writing focus on Once Upon a Snowstorm. Each class will engage with the text for three weeks, producing writing in different genres to broaden pupils’ writing experiences and strengthen progression across year groups.
Development writing checklists have been distributed to all teaching staff to support clarity of expectations, ensure age-appropriate progression, and provide a consistent framework for supporting and assessing writing across the school.

Next Steps:

Support staff to implement the genre-based writing outcomes in January, ensuring progression and challenge.
Monitor the use of the writing development checklists across classes.
Evaluate the impact of the whole-school writing project on pupil outcomes later in the spring term.

Impact

Staff have an improved understanding of high-quality writing pedagogy through the Helen Bowen Book Fizz project, leading to greater consistency in how writing is taught across the school.
Sharing the training messages has strengthened whole-staff confidence and aligned expectations for planning, modelling, and developing writing outcomes.
The planned whole-school text (Once Upon a Snowstorm) will create a cohesive and purposeful approach to writing, ensuring all pupils experience high-quality literature and a broad range of genres.
The use of the development writing checklists is supporting teachers in identifying next steps more accurately, leading to clearer progression and more targeted support for pupils’ writing development.

Progress Judgement

Ongoing

Spring

Impact

Progress Judgement

Summer

Impact

Progress Judgement

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