We use complete, high quality and language rich picture books and novels and other text types to teach English. In Year 2, these books are used as a stimulus for teaching writing. Each term, there is a main fiction and non-fiction writing outcome. During some terms there will be a poetry outcome as well. In the build up to these main writing outcomes children are given the grammar skills and vocabulary necessary to write their extended piece. Short writing opportunities are incorporated into the planning cycle so that children have time to practise applying the skills learned. The children are taught how to write for a variety of audiences and a range of different purposes. This allows children to understand the different sentence types and word choices needed for different purposes and audiences.

We give guidance and instruction to children to improve writing skills. This includes grammatical accuracy and correct use of punctuation. As the year progresses children are expected to edit their own work based on guidance and recommendations. Each class has a set of non-negotiables. We involve children in their own learning by sharing success criteria, marking observations and discussion.

The school use the Letter-join handwriting scheme which introduces cursive handwriting from Reception.