At Hillside Primary School, our Writing curriculum is designed to place the needs and aspirations of our pupils at the heart of their learning. Our bespoke curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, empowering every child to become an articulate, confident author who can communicate effectively for a range of purposes. We foster a deep love for the written word, helping our pupils to "Be the BEST they can be."
Our Writing curriculum intent is underpinned by four key attitudes for learning, which ensure our pupils develop the character and resilience needed to thrive as communicators in the modern world:

● Believe
● Engage
● Succeed
● Try

We deliver a high-quality Writing curriculum that equips pupils with the Substantive Knowledge (the "what"—vocabulary, grammar, genre conventions, and spelling) and Disciplinary Knowledge (the "how"—the writer’s craft of planning, drafting, and editing) essential for achieving and exceeding the expected standard. Our curriculum is anchored by six ‘Big Ideas’ that build progressively. When pupils encounter a Big Idea, they revisit prior learning to make connections, building the mental schema required to understand how a writer’s voice shapes the reader’s response.

BELIEVE: Building Confidence & Voice
● Purpose & Audience (Big Idea): We foster an environment where children believe in their unique voice by exploring the why of writing. From early marks in EYFS to complex persuasion in UKS2, pupils learn that writing is a powerful tool to entertain, inform, persuade, and explain.
● High Expectations: We believe in the power of precision. Adhering to the ethos, "What we don’t correct we condone," we set high standards for letter formation and spelling. By modelling expectations we ensure children believe they can meet and exceed Age Related Expectations (ARE) through live dynamic verbal feedback and children engaging with the editing process.
● Inclusive Achievement: Through targeted pre-teaching, scaffolding, and writing frames, we ensure all pupils—regardless of background or ability—believe they can access the curriculum and express their ideas with clarity.

ENGAGE: Curiosity & Textual Connection
● Diverse Genres (Big Idea): We spark curiosity by immersing pupils in a rich diet of text types. From the patterned language of early storytelling to the complex structure of Balanced Arguments, pupils engage as active readers to become informed writers.
● Immersion & Exploration (Disciplinary): Pupils engage as authors-in-training. Using teaching approaches like Gallery Walks and Storyboards, children explore text features and visual stimuli, building their own "toolkit" of language and imagery before they begin to write.
● Cultural Capital: Our curriculum draws on rich narrative and non-fiction traditions. By exploring diverse authors and historical contexts, children connect their writing to the wider world, using language to mirror and challenge the human experience.

SUCCEED: Precision & Mastery
● Grammatical Precision (Big Idea): Success is rooted in the correct application of the English language. Pupils move from the non-negotiables of finger spaces and capital letters in EYFS to mastering complex syntax, cohesion, and modal verbs in UKS2.
● Writing Progression (Disciplinary): Mastery is shown when pupils can independently select the appropriate form and level of formality or style of language used to suit a specific context, audience or purpose. Whether writing a newspaper report or a narrative, pupils succeed when they consistently apply spelling rules, tense control, and punctuation accurately.
● Substantive Mastery: Pupils succeed when they can compare features across genres—identifying, for example, the structural differences between a formal letter and an informal diary entry—and apply these features with intent.

TRY: Resilience & The Craft of Editing
● The Writing Process (Big Idea): We embrace "hard thinking" through the iterative process of writing. Children understand that the first draft is only the beginning.
● Editing & Improving (Disciplinary): We cultivate a culture where children are not afraid to "try" again. Using green pen for editing and improving, children refine their work, correct spellings, and enhance their vocabulary. This reflects our commitment to resilience—understanding that writing is a craft that requires constant refinement.
● Collaborative Innovation: Children develop resilience by working together—whether through “Conscience alleys” or peer discussion—to solve problems, unblock ideas, and build the endurance needed for extended writing.