Is your primary school a writing school?
Use this chart to identify the strategies which are already in place to support writing in your school and to create targets which could be embedded in your English Action Plan or used as a focus for CPD.
School writing audit
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Getting started |
Making progress |
Aiming high |
| Whole-school environment |
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Different types of writing are displayed |
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Children's writing is celebrated in public spaces |
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Children contribute to boxes placed around the school eg. School Council suggestions |
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Children create and contribute to signage across the school |
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Children produce a school guide for visitors |
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Children write notes to communicate with their friends |
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Children contribute to interactive notice boards |
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Assemblies are used to celebrate achievements in writing |
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Writing displays show that children use writing skills across the curriculum |
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Children’s writing is published in a range of formats, print and online, including handwritten text and work using ICT skills |
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There are specific outdoor spaces for writing |
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Children write notes to adults as a form of school wide communication |
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All staff including kitchen staff and mid-day supervisors are encouraged to model their everyday writing |
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| Cross-curricular links |
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Work samples show evidence of cross curricular writing |
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Class teachers look for writing opportunities across subjects |
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Planning shows evidence of writing objectives incorporated within other subject areas |
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Subject leaders identify opportunities for cross-curricular writing |
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Cross-curricular links are highlighted within the curriculum map ensuring a range of genres are addressed through all subject areas |
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| Community involvement |
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Children make a book suitable for a younger reader |
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Parents are invited to participate in writing events |
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Parents are invited in to see work produced by children |
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Children design and produce invitations for parents and members of the school community |
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Children make a book suitable for a targeted group e.g. older members of the community, nursery, a charity |
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School events are advertised in the local community through writing produced by children |
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Children interact with members of the local community via a range of communication methods including, e-mail, letter writing and blogs |
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Children produce writing for a targeted audience within the community e.g. history of the area |
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Parents are encouraged to run clubs linked to writing, e.g. a reporters’ club |
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The school runs an adult literacy programme or involves parents in creative writing activities |
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| School library |
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The library celebrates writers through regular displays of featured authors |
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The school librarian is actively involved in introducing new writers to children |
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Writing clubs are hosted in the school library at lunchtimes or after school |
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Children request new resources via the library suggestion box |
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The library runs a homework club which supports children with their research skills, e.g. note-taking |
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The library is open at lunchtimes with parents welcomed after school |
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Getting started |
Making progress |
Aiming high |
| Classroom environment |
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Displays celebrate children's writing |
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Displays around the classroom support the writing process, e.g. word banks |
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Children are encouraged to use the classroom writing areas independently |
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A Learning Wall displays writing ideas and links to the current focus for writing |
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Children are invited to design writing areas in the classroom |
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The classroom celebrates the whole writing process with displays of planning, redrafting and publishing |
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| Teachers as writers |
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Children have incidental exposure to the teacher as a writer, e.g. writing cards or notes |
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Teachers use shared writing frequently to model writing skills |
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Teachers display the ways in which they use writing, and why they use it, throughout a typical day |
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Teachers vocalise their reflections on being a writer as they model writing |
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Teachers’ achievements as writers are shared with staff and pupils e.g. displaying shared writing, published articles, competition entries |
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The school hosts a writing club for staff |
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| Professional development |
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English Subject Leader attends meetings and cascades information to other teachers |
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Staff have signed up to become Everybody Writes Enthusiasts |
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English Subject Leader attends training by external agencies and regularly hosts writing focused staff meetings |
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Coaching opportunities to improve the teaching of writing are developed in the school |
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Cluster groups plan writing events eg. planning a writer residency across a local network or organising inter-school writing events |
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Cluster groups share good practice through inter-school visits and coaching opportunities |
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Getting started |
Making progress |
Aiming high |
| Events and writing groups |
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Children make regular written contributions to the school newsletter |
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Children are exposed to a range of good quality writing, e.g. from books, newspapers and letters |
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Writing activities are planned around annual school events e.g book week, sports day, school fete |
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An editorial team of children write and produce a termly school newsletter |
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Visiting writers work with children |
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Special interest groups provide regular writing opportunities eg a talk from a wildlife charity |
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The school hosts an annual Everybody Writes Day |
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Children's writing is regularly entered into competitions. |
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Pupils are inspired to write for pleasure |
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A range of visitors share the importance of writing in their live |
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| ICT |
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Children learn the writing conventions of e-mailing and blogging |
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Children's writing is featured on the school website |
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There is a school children’s writing weblog |
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Children communicate via e-mail with another school |
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Children maintain their own web pages on the school website |
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Children make informed choices about the appropriateness of using electronic communication e.g. SMS, e-mail, handwritten note, letter, blogs |
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| Supported groups |
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Teachers set children's writing targets |
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Opportunities are identified for able pupils to engage with challenging writing activities |
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Pupil progress data is used to identify groups of writers who are underperforming |
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Teachers share targets with children and display strategies for achieving them |
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Able pupils respond to a text using a chosen genre of writing |
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The school displays writing in children’s first languages in a variety of forms |
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Children work with teachers to set and agree their own writing targets |
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Able pupils have opportunities to subvert and manipulate genres |
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Teachers use the personalised writing profile tool on the Everybody Writes website to target writing activities for hard to reach or able pupils |
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| Transition |
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Children make a "welcome" guide for new pupils |
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Children use letters or email to communicate with their upcoming secondary schools or teachers and respond to communications from new pupils in their current school |
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Year 6 and Year 7 pupils script and shoot a transition film which is presented at a variety of local primary schools accompanied by a Q&A session |
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