Writing

The teaching of writing is focused on the skills needed for each genre or text type. The school use literacy tree as a basis for English lessons. Within this, each year group has a range of objectives that need to be covered and text types that are to be taught to cover these objectives. They are based on a wide range of high quality and significant children's literature chosen to engage, challenge and support children to be critical readers and confident and informed writers. All National Curriculum requirements of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, literary language and composition are embedded leading towards a variety of purposeful and exciting shorter, longer and extended writing outcomes where the audience and purpose is clear.

Handwriting at Willowdown

Willowdown Primary School Pen Licence Guidance

Children in KS2 can earn a Willowdown Pen Licence.
They MUST meet the criteria over a minimum period of three weeks, before being awarded the licence.
A handwriting certificate and a handwriting pen will be awarded in class.
The pen becomes the property of the pupil and if they lose it, they will have to write in pencil.
The licence will be reviewed each term (Autumn, Spring and Summer) to ensure that good quality handwriting expectations are maintained.
The licence can be revoked, if handwriting and presentation becomes untidy and/or scruffy and the original criteria are no longer met.

Criteria for earning a Pen Licence:

Letters are correctly formed, writing is neat and it is consistently joined.
Letters are the correct size in relation to one another.
Capital and lower case letters are not confused.
Writing is correctly placed on the line with clear ascenders and descenders.
Writing is consistent across all lessons and pieces of work.
Very few mistakes are made, and if they are, they are crossed through with a ruled line.