Writing at St. Ignatius

At St. Ignatius, we believe writing is a powerful way for children to communicate ideas, express creativity and share their learning. Our aim is for every child to become a confident, accurate and thoughtful writer who can write for a range of purposes and audiences.

We teach writing through high-quality texts and carefully structured lessons that help pupils develop vocabulary, grammar, creativity and independence as writers.

Our Writing Curriculum

Our writing curriculum is designed to ensure pupils:

• develop strong speaking and listening skills to support writing
• write for a range of purposes and audiences
• build a rich and ambitious vocabulary
• apply grammar, punctuation and spelling accurately
• plan, draft, edit and publish their work with increasing independence

We use high-quality texts from Grammarsaurus and ensure consistency and high expectations across the school.

How Writing is Taught

Writing units follow a three-week cycle, allowing pupils to explore texts deeply before creating their own writing.

Week 1 – Explore the Text

Pupils analyse a model text to understand its structure, vocabulary and key writing features. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught explicitly and linked to the text being studied.

Week 2 – Develop Skills and Plan

Teachers model writing strategies and pupils practise new skills through collaborative and independent activities. Pupils then create a plan for their own writing using structured scaffolds where needed.

Week 3 – Write, Edit and Publish

Pupils draft their writing in stages, developing ideas and applying the techniques they have learned. They then edit and improve their work before publishing their final piece.

This structured approach helps pupils develop confidence, accuracy and independence as writers.

Developing Strong Writers

Across the school we place strong emphasis on:

Vocabulary – teaching ambitious vocabulary to enrich pupils’ writing.
Grammar and punctuation – explicitly taught and applied in writing.
Spelling – taught systematically to build accuracy and confidence.
Handwriting – promoting clear presentation and pride in work.

Writing Journey Through School

Early Years
Children develop early writing through speaking, storytelling, mark-making and phonics. They begin writing simple words and sentences.

Key Stage 1
Pupils develop sentence structure, punctuation and vocabulary, writing for a range of simple purposes.

Key Stage 2
Children write longer pieces across different genres, developing greater control of structure, language and audience.

Throughout school, pupils learn to plan, draft, edit and improve their writing, becoming increasingly independent writers.

The Impact of Our Writing Curriculum

Our approach to writing ensures that pupils:

• develop confidence and enjoyment in writing
• write with increasing accuracy, creativity and independence
• build the vocabulary and language skills needed across the curriculum
• leave St. Ignatius as capable writers prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Writing outcomes have been strong at St. Ignatius Catholic Primary School consistently over the last three years and we have been through rigorous internal and external moderation processes to quality assure this.