Writing is an important part of all aspects of learning and high standards of written English are promoted across all areas of the curriculum. Writing is explicitly taught daily for an hour through learning journeys. These learning journeys usually last around 2-3 weeks and take the children through three distinct phases:

• stimulate and generate
• capture, sift and sort
• create, refine and evaluate

At the start of each learning journey, there is always an engaging hook lesson to ignite awe, and wonder around a text or short film clip. These lessons may involve drama, school trips, hands-on experiences or different forms of media. Following on from the hook lesson, the children are given opportunities to ‘read as a writer’ and become familiar with the stimulus. Audience and purpose is identified in order to ensure the children have a clear understanding of different genres and forms. At the end of this phase, children will be given an opportunity to practise skills from their previous writing journey through a sight of application.

During the next phase of the learning journey, teachers deliver lessons modelling and demonstrating key writing skills and the children are given opportunities to practise their new learning that are linked to the text or topic area. They develop an increasing awareness of different sentence types and structures and how to use grammar and punctuation for effect. The children are given various opportunities to apply their taught skills through drop in and apprentice writes.

The final phase of a learning journey allows children to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through a final piece of writing. Children plan and create their work then edit and refine their writing. Depending on the learning journey, children will also publish or share and celebrate their work in a variety of different ways.

Oral and written feedback is given throughout the learning journey, with key targets being identified and supported throughout. At the start and end of every lesson, children take part in a 5-minute edit, where they look back at their previous work and edit key skills such as, punctuation, spelling or vocabulary choice. There are also longer, more explicitly taught edit lessons following extended writes throughout the learning journey.