English at Harper Bell SDA Primary School
Writing, Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
Building strong foundations. Developing confident writers. Writing with purpose.
At Harper Bell SDA Primary School, our English curriculum is designed to develop confident, articulate and independent writers who communicate with accuracy, creativity and purpose. Rooted in our school values of Love, Learning and Laughter, we believe every child should develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to express their thoughts, ideas and experiences effectively.
Our carefully sequenced curriculum prioritises strong foundations in transcription, sentence construction, grammar and spelling, ensuring that pupils develop the fluency needed to focus increasingly on the craft of writing. Alongside these essential skills, we place significant emphasis on understanding audience, purpose and effect, enabling children to make deliberate choices about vocabulary, sentence structure and language to communicate meaning and engage their readers.
Strong Foundations: Transcription and Writing Fluency
We recognise that fluent transcription is fundamental to successful writing. From the earliest stages, children develop secure phonological knowledge, accurate letter formation, spelling fluency and sentence construction.
In EYFS and Key Stage 1, Little Wandle phonics, handwriting and structured sentence-writing opportunities establish these essential foundations. In Year 2, particular attention is given to consolidating phonics, handwriting and transcription before pupils increasingly apply these skills within extended writing.
Throughout the school, teachers revisit prerequisite knowledge, identify gaps promptly and provide additional modelling, practice and targeted support. Our progressive approach ensures that pupils build automaticity in transcription, freeing their attention to focus on composition, vocabulary and the impact of their writing.
Writing for Audience, Purpose and Effect
Our writing curriculum is built around carefully selected, high-quality texts, meaningful experiences and a progressive range of genres. Pupils learn to write to entertain, inform, persuade and explain, developing an increasingly sophisticated understanding of how language choices influence the reader.
We follow a consistent, evidence-informed teaching approach incorporating:
- Smart Starts and retrieval practice to revisit and secure essential knowledge.
- Explicit modelling (I Do, We Do, You Do) to make the writing process visible.
- Oral rehearsal and vocabulary development to strengthen sentence construction and articulate ideas.
- Purposeful independent practice to build confidence, stamina and fluency.
- Editing, reflection and feedback to develop accuracy, independence and awareness of effect.
Every writing unit provides opportunities for pupils to consider who they are writing for, why they are writing and how their choices will affect the reader.
Our curriculum also celebrates diversity, identity and belonging. Through carefully chosen literature, cross-curricular experiences, educational visits and our dedicated Black History Month Writing Week, children encounter different perspectives and develop the confidence to communicate their own experiences and ideas.
Grammar and Punctuation: Knowledge Applied with Purpose
Grammar and punctuation are taught as essential tools for effective communication rather than isolated exercises. We combine two complementary approaches:
- Explicit teaching within writing units: Grammar and punctuation objectives are carefully matched to each writing genre. Teachers model grammatical choices in context, enabling pupils to understand how sentence structures and punctuation create meaning, clarity and effect. Children rehearse and apply this learning in their independent writing.
- Dedicated weekly GPS lessons: One standalone lesson each week supplements contextual teaching by securing grammatical knowledge, addressing misconceptions and developing precision.
During the autumn term, the Grammarsaurus Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar provides a structured approach to assessing, retrieving and strengthening prerequisite knowledge. This ensures that important foundations are secure before pupils progress to increasingly complex concepts.
Importantly, new year-group content is introduced within purposeful writing from the beginning of the academic year. Dedicated lessons in the spring and summer terms build upon these foundations, providing further explicit teaching, consolidation and opportunities for deeper understanding.
Our priority remains the confident and accurate application of grammar and punctuation in authentic writing, rather than success in isolated exercises alone.
Spelling: Understanding How Words Work
Our spelling curriculum combines secure phonics knowledge with a progressive understanding of spelling conventions, morphology and word meaning.
Using Spelling with Grammarsaurus, pupils explore how words are constructed through roots, prefixes and suffixes. Carefully sequenced teaching develops their ability to recognise patterns, investigate word meanings and apply spelling knowledge independently.
In Years 2-6, three focused 15-minute sessions each week support explicit teaching, word investigation, retrieval and application.
Spelling is continually reinforced through dictation, vocabulary development, proofreading and independent writing, ensuring children understand not simply how to spell words, but how and why words are constructed.
Assessment and Responsive Teaching
Assessment is integral to our approach and informs teaching at every stage.
Teachers use ongoing formative assessment, including questioning, oral rehearsal, Smart Starts, checks for understanding, live feedback and analysis of pupils' writing, to identify misconceptions and adapt teaching immediately.
Termly assessments in grammar, punctuation and writing, alongside spelling assessments and regular reviews of independent work, enable teachers to evaluate knowledge, retention and application over time.
Assessment information informs planning, targeted interventions and opportunities for further practice or challenge. Our focus is not only on whether children can demonstrate a skill in isolation, but whether they can transfer and apply their knowledge accurately and independently.
Inclusion: Every Child a Writer
Our English curriculum is ambitious and inclusive by design. We recognise that children develop language, transcription and composition skills at different rates and provide carefully structured support to ensure every pupil can participate and succeed.
Visual prompts, oral rehearsal, vocabulary teaching, worked examples and scaffolded sentence construction provide accessible pathways into ambitious writing outcomes.
For pupils with SEND or English as an Additional Language, our consistent Subject → Verb → Complete thought sentence-building approach supports the development of accurate, meaningful sentences. Targeted phonics and transcription support, additional rehearsal and responsive teaching help pupils overcome barriers while maintaining high expectations.
Scaffolds are progressively reduced as pupils develop confidence, fluency and independence.
The Impact: Confident, Accurate and Purposeful Writers
Through our progressive and responsive approach, we aim for every child to become a writer who:
- Writes fluently and accurately, with secure transcription skills.
- Understands and makes deliberate choices about audience, purpose and effect.
- Uses increasingly ambitious vocabulary and varied sentence structures.
- Applies grammar, punctuation and spelling confidently across the curriculum.
- Reflects upon, edits and improves their writing independently.
- Values writing as a powerful means of communication, creativity and self-expression.
At Harper Bell, we develop more than technical writing skills. We empower children to find their voice, communicate their ideas and write with confidence, precision and purpose.
Love • Learning • Laughter