Writing, Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar

At Muswell Hill Primary School, children are given the opportunity to develop their writing through a range of genres including stories, poetry, reports, persuasive writing and factual accounts. We focus on the main purposes for writing: to inform, persuade and entertain. Teaching the children to understand their purpose for writing enables them to choose language and structures to match the genre and also to match the purpose, engaging the reader and focusing their writing.

Across the primary phase, writing opportunities are provided across the curriculum ensuring the skills the children learn in English lessons can be applied across different subjects such as reports in science, history or geography with a focus on subject specific vocabulary. Within writing lessons, children learn to plan their ideas, draft initial writing through speaking and listening, edit and revise their writing and publish their work. Children are provided with clear expectations on what language or structural features they should include to match the purpose of their writing and are afforded independence and creative freedom to show this how they want to as a writer.

Editing is a crucial skill so the children at Muswell Hill Primary are supported and challenged to understand how effective editing can successfully improve their work. Both teachers and teaching partners support this process through check lists, peer marking, teacher conferences one to one with children and whole class feedback.

Additionally, essential to creating fluent writers, is our teaching of spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting in a consistent and progressive way throughout the children’s school life at Muswell Hill Primary School.

We encourage a love for writing through whole school writing projects linked to art where the writing process is displayed with final art pieces in both key stages. The children are also given creative ownership to enter and compete in writing challenges both within school and as part of national projects.