English
At Funtington Primary School, we are committed to fostering a love of writing through a well-structured English curriculum that aligns with the Hampshire Writing Model. Our approach is designed to support pupils in becoming confident and proficient writers who can express their ideas effectively and creatively.
Key Components of Our English Curriculum:
Rich Texts: We believe that exposure to high-quality children's literature is fundamental to developing writing skills. Our curriculum incorporates a diverse range of rich texts that inspire pupils, providing them with models of excellent writing across various genres. These texts serve as a springboard for discussion, analysis, and creative exploration, helping pupils understand the power of language and narrative.
Purposeful Outcomes: Writing at Funtington Primary is always purposeful. Pupils engage in writing tasks that have clear outcomes, whether it be to inform, entertain, persuade, or express. By connecting writing to real-world contexts and audiences, we ensure that pupils see the relevance of their work, which enhances motivation and engagement.
Three-Phase Writing Journey: Our writing curriculum is structured around a three-phase writing journey that supports pupils in writing as readers. This journey includes:
- Stimulate and Generate: In this initial phase, pupils are encouraged to explore ideas and themes by being immersed in rich texts. Through discussion, drama and creative activities, they generate a wealth of ideas and begin to develop their voice as writers as well as a rich vocabulary for writing. This phase is designed to ignite curiosity and enthusiasm for writing.
- Capture, Sift & Sort: During this phase, pupils focus on the skills needed for the final outcome. They learn to capture their initial ideas and then sift through them to select the most compelling ones. They consider audience and purpose, and develop the grammatical structures they are likely to use in their final piece. Pupils are carefully supported through this phase, allowing them to 'have a go' at a variety of writing styles and experiment with language.
- Create, Refine, Evaluate: In the final phase, pupils create their final, independent pieces of writing. They learn the importance of revising and refining their work through peer feedback and self-evaluation. This phase emphasises the continuous nature of writing, where pupils are encouraged to reflect on their writing choices, enhance their language and style, and ensure clarity and coherence in their final drafts.
Our curriculum is designed to nurture creativity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of writing. They experience what it feels like to be a 'writer', as independent learners. This enables every pupil to achieve their best in English.