Intent

Our writing curriculum from Nursery to Year 2 aims to open horizons and celebrate the rich diversity of every child. We nurture creativity through a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum where writing is valued across all subjects. Children develop strong early writing foundations so they can grow as confident, independent, resilient learners who reach their full potential.

We promote a love of writing through exposure to high-quality texts, rich language and purposeful writing experiences. Our curriculum reflects the local context of Chichester, using meaningful, relatable themes to inspire children’s ideas. We aim to foster character, collaboration, and well-being by giving children the tools to express themselves, share their thinking and communicate clearly in a safe, happy and nurturing environment.

Implementation

Writing begins with language. In Nursery and the Early Years, children experience talk-rich environments, storytelling, role-play and early mark-making that build vocabulary, communication skills and confidence. As children progress, they develop handwriting through the use of the Letter Join scheme, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary through carefully sequenced teaching.

High-quality texts inspire writing across all areas of the curriculum. Teachers model writing regularly, demonstrating vocabulary choices, sentence structure and simple editing. Children practise writing for real purposes—stories, labels, instructions, poems, recounts—building stamina and creativity.

Phonics taught through Little Wandle supports children’s spelling and confidence as early writers. Targeted support ensures every child, including those with additional needs, develops secure foundations. Opportunities for writing are linked to Chichester’s local context, helping children connect learning with their community.

We build independence, collaboration and resilience by encouraging children to plan ideas, rehearse sentences aloud, review their writing and celebrate progress. Classrooms provide supportive writing environments with prompts, vocabulary, working walls and well-modelled examples.

Impact

By the end of Year 2, children are confident, enthusiastic writers who can communicate ideas clearly and creatively. They develop secure early writing skills, including phonically plausible spelling, age-appropriate handwriting, and an ability to compose simple but meaningful sentences.