We are excited to announce that we are now an accredited Talk for Writing Showcase School, one of eleven schools in the country. Talk for Writing Showcase Schools offer open mornings where teachers and leaders from other schools can see TfW in action in the classroom. During the open mornings, visitors speak to leaders about our implementation of TfW, learn about the school’s improvement journey, look in books and discuss our outcomes. We feel incredibly proud, as a school, of our children’s writing and we love to share this enthusiasm with visitors! If you wish to find out more or book onto an open morning, there is more information available here: Kingsbridge Primary School, Devon - Talk for Writing

How do we teach writing at Kingsbridge Primary School?

“Reading and writing float on a sea of talk.” James Britton

At Kingsbridge Primary School, we believe that writing is held afloat by speaking and listening. We understand that in order for a child to grasp the authorial voice and negotiate the depths of inference, that they must be able to have control over the nuances of talk and discussion. Therefore, speaking, listening and drama run throughout our ambitious and progressive writing curriculum so that children, particularly disadvantaged pupils - including those with SEND - are able to access the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Throughout our writing curriculum, sequences are designed to cumulatively build the sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment whilst also instilling the feelings of joy, beauty and creativity that writing holds.

We understand that writing is not an easy task as children are expected to master a range of skills in order to be competent writers so we aim to build secure foundations that are revisited each year and built upon to ensure mastery and automaticity.

Across all year groups, Talk for Writing is at the heart of our approach. Talk for Writing, developed by Pie Corbett, is powerful because it is based on the principles of how children learn. The movement from imitation to innovation to independent application can be adapted to suit the needs of learners at any stage. The approach enables children to write independently for a variety of audiences and purposes, and a key feature is that children internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’, as well as close reading. As a class, children move from dependence towards independence with teachers using shared and guided teaching to develop the ability in children to write creatively and powerfully. More information can be found here: https://www.talk4writing.com/

The aims of English, as outlined in the national curriculum are to ensure that all pupils:

• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.
• Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate