Writing and Spelling at St James

At St James we value children as developing writers and cherish the journey that they lead.

EYFS and Year 1:

During the EYFS and Year 1, we use 'Read Write Inc Get Writing' to teach the writing mechanics to our youngest children. We encourage them to identify and use writing features confidently to develop a secure foundation which will be added to as they progress through the school.

This programme also introduces children to correct letter formation. Each letter has an image and a patter that helps the children commit them to long term memory and reduces their cognitive their load. This scaffold is also used to support letter formation further up the school for those who need it to support their learning journey too. 

Year 2 and Year 3:

Writing:

As the children finish the Read, Write Inc programme, they are exposed to a range of high quality texts to develop their understandings of transcription, composition, grammar and vocabulary. They are given examples to aspire to and receive the scaffolding to get there. 

Our curriculum focuses on a modelled, scaffolded and independent approach which nurtures and supports children as they grow into fluent writers. With a range of non-fiction, fiction and poetry texts, children are guided through how to write for different purposes, for suitable audiences and are provided with clear expectations and guidance of how to become a writer. 

We value the children's own experiences and use these to foster a love of writing within each child. At St James we understand that every child has different experiences that they should retell and showcase. At every opportunity, our independent writes highlight these experiences and we all enjoy taking a step into their world during our publish and present days at the end of each unit. 

Handwriting:

In Year 2 and Year 3, we use letterjoin to facilitate handwriting lessons. This is an online platform with a range of activities that encourage children to form cursive handwriting correctly. 

Spellings:

In Year 2 and Year 3, we follow the No Nonsense Spellings programme with individualised approaches for helping children to learn CEW. We have dedicated time to teach spelling rules throughout the week and monitor children's spelling development carefully and appropriately. It is an expectation at St James that children practise their spellings at home to support their learning. 

Vocabulary 

We enjoy challenging our students by introducing them to new interesting and intriguing vocabulary. We do through the exploration of our Core Texts in English lessons as well as our Book Spine books which we read as a class in designated reading times. 

Here is a vocabulary display from our Year 3 classroom, showcasing the new words that are learnt from texts or learning areas each term! The children write the word with it's definition, a picture and synonyms (if there are any!) in their Vocabulary Journals which they will take with them throughout their time in KS2 at St James.