International Preparatory School. Writing Policy. At IPS we believe that learning is Inspiring, Positive and Stimulating.

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1 International Preparatory School Writing Policy Aims At IPS we believe that learning is Inspiring, Positive and Stimulating. Pupils at IPS will become confident, independent, enthusiastic and creative writers. They will learn to convey clear meaning in a range of forms and styles for a variety of purposes. Foundation Stage Differentiate between print and pictures Make connections between speech and writing Be introduced to the names and sounds of letters and how to form them correctly. Attempt writing for various purposes Communicate meaning through emergent writing Key Stage One Communicate meaning through writing, using appropriate vocabulary Develop ideas in a sequence of sentences, using suitable punctuation including capital letters, full stops and question marks Spell simple words correctly, and use phonic knowledge to attempt plausible spellings of unfamiliar vocabulary Develop a handwriting style in which letters are accurately formed and consistent in size. Write in a range of forms using appropriate style for different audiences Key Stage Two Write in a range of forms using appropriate style for different audiences Develop ideas in interesting ways using effective vocabulary and complex sentences, beginning to organise them into paragraphs Spell and use a widening range of vocabulary and punctuation accurately Develop a handwriting style that is joined, clear and fluent, and adapted to a range of tasks Teaching and Learning The teaching of writing at IPS follows the programmes of study of the National Curriculum, the National Literacy Strategy and Letters and Sounds.

2 Resources The range of literacy resources is selected carefully to positively and powerfully support all children. Each class has its own stock of materials, and resources can be shared across each Key Stage. The schemes available to support the teachers of IPS to implement the writing programmes of study are the Password English, Literacy World, Ginn Reading, Floppy Phonics, Jolly phonics, Letters and Sounds, and Andrew Brodie s Spelling for Literacy in KS2. In addition to these schemes, each class has a range of supplementary resources available appropriate to the age group, including Interactive Whiteboards. Writer s Tool Kits are used at an appropriate level from Year One Handwriting A child who begins their educational career at IPS will learn the handwriting style as prescribed by Jolly Phonics in Reception ( sassoon infant style - appendix 1) or by the Spectrum Handwriting Programme from Year 1 upwards (appendix 2). Each class will display appropriate styles for pupils to refer to, and pupils will have access to copies of the style to use in their personal work. Weekly handwriting practise will be provided by the class teacher, focusing on correct letter formation and correct pencil grip. Handwriting triple lined books will be used and passed onto a new class at the end of the year, for further use. Cursive handwriting will be taught from Year Two. When a child joins IPS from another school and has already mastered a handwriting style other than Spectrum, they shall be encouraged to develop their own style. Children should become aware of a variety of handwriting styles and printed words around them. Additional handwriting activities can be sent home for children requiring extra practise. Learning support is available for students who require individual help. Spelling The teaching of spelling at IPS follows guidance from the learning objectives of the Primary Framework for Literacy and Letters and Sounds. Children are taught a phonic approach to reading and spelling following the Letters and Sounds phases. Children progress through the six phases throughout the Foundation stage and Key Stage One, and into Year Three. If required, Letters and Sounds is taught in Key Stage Two (beyond Year Three) until all six phases have been achieved. As a general guide, Letters and Sounds will be taught according to the following order: Nursery: Phase 1; Reception: Phases 1, 2 and 3; Year One: Phases 2, 3 and 4; Year Two: Phases 3, 4 and 5; Year Three: Phases 5 and 6. There will be frequent overlap, repetition and practise across year groups depending on the class/pupil needs and bearing in mind that some children might lose skills during the long summer breaks (especially if no English is spoken at home).

3 Reception: Use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words. Year One Spell new words using phonics as the prime approach Segment sounds into their constituent phonemes in order to spell them correctly Children move from spelling simple CVC words to longer words that include common digraphs and adjacent consonants such as 'brush', 'crunch' Recognise and use alternative ways of spelling the graphemes already taught, for example that the /ae/ sound can be spelt with 'ai', 'ay' or 'a-e'; that the /ee/ sound can also be spelt as 'ea' and 'e'; and begin to know which words contain which spelling alternatives Use knowledge of common inflections in spelling, such as plurals, -ly, -er Read and spell phonically decodable two-syllable and three-syllable words Year Two Spell with increasing accuracy and confidence, drawing on word recognition and knowledge of word structure, and spelling patterns including common inflections and use of double letters Read and spell less common alternative graphemes including trigraphs Year Three Spell high and medium frequency words. Recognise a range of prefixes and suffixes, understanding how they modify meaning and spelling, and how they assist in decoding long complex words. Spell unfamiliar words using known conventions including graphemephoneme correspondences and morphological rules. Year Four Use knowledge of phonics, morphology and etymology to spell new and unfamiliar words. Distinguish the spelling and meaning of common homophones. Know and apply common spelling rules.

4 Develop a range of personal strategies for learning new and irregular words. Year Five Spell words containing unstressed vowels. Know and use less common prefixes and suffixes such as im-, ir-, -cian. Group and classify words according to their spelling patterns and their meanings. Year Six Spell familiar words correctly and employ a range of strategies to spell difficult and unfamiliar words. Use a range of appropriate strategies to edit, proof read and correct spelling in their own work, on paper and on screen. Assessment, Recording and Reporting of Writing Assessment of all children is ongoing. Teachers keep individual notes, APP tracking sheets and records. From Year One, writing is levelled every term using the Ros Wilson level descriptors. Phonics is assessed from Foundation stage until the child reaches phase six. Writing is assessed formally at the end of Key Stage Two (Year 6) in the form of Standardised Assessment Tasks (SATs). These form part of the English SATs as governed by QCA/Dfes (England). IPS has its own agreed method of marking children s written work and giving feedback to pupils on their progress. (Please refer to the Marking policy). The teaching and learning of writing is monitored regularly, focusing on specific and relevant aspects though moderation meetings. Reporting to parents takes the form of a Parent/Teacher Conference midway through the first term, a Mid-Year Report Card in February and a final, full written report at the end of the school year (June). Parents are informed of the formal assessment level in writing for their child at the end of each key stage (Foundation Stage, KS1 and KS2). ICT Word processing becomes an increasingly important skill as pupils progress through the school. Textease and Microsoft Word are tools used and taught across the key stages. The interactive white board and access to the internet are used at an appropriate level in classrooms to support and diversify the teaching of writing.

5 Special Educational Needs and EAL Every class teacher makes provision in class for each child to develop skills appropriate to their ability and/or knowledge of the English Language, giving support or extension where necessary. Provision is made with our Learning Support teacher and EAL teacher for children with special educational needs (including Gifted and Talented) in the area of writing and/or who have insufficient English to access the curriculum (see Special Educational Needs policy). Children from Year One onwards will receive written tasks as homework on a regular basis (please refer to Homework policy). Development Literacy Leaders, EMT and teachers will continue to monitor UK and international developments and initiatives with regards to writing, and implement these strategies as needed. Reviewed by Literacy Leaders and EMT: January 2012 Agreed by all staff: February 2012 Review date: February 2014