Mrs Stead - Writing Leader 

Hello, I am Mrs Stead and I am the Writing Lead at Mesne Lea. I am extremely passionate about writing and enjoy writing myself, in my spare time. Reading and Writing are at the heart of our curriculum and we strive to ensure all of our children can read and write, ready for their next phase of education. Our English Curriculum has been designed carefully and sequentially to ensure the pupils' of Mesne Lea receive a first class education tailored to meet their needs #everychildawriter #everychildareader 

"The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say." - Anais Nin

Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words. Effective composition involves articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting. National Curriculum 2014

Written communication is also an essential element of expression; the ability to articulate oneself through the written word provides an opportunity to share knowledge in a meaningful and effective way. Writing facilitates reflection, expression and enables individuals to compose their thoughts, therefore providing us with the framework for one of the most prominent methods of daily communication. In an electronic world where verbal communication has become less frequently used, learning to write in a cohesive, structured manner allows individuals to convey their thoughts effectively.

Embedding the alphabetic code early in a child’s education means that pupils quickly learn to write simple words and sentences. Our youngest children are encouraged to compose each sentence orally until they are confident to write independently.  Pupils write at the level of their spelling knowledge. The quality of the vocabulary they use in their writing reflects the language they are exposed to through experiencing a book based curriculum and print rich environment.

Children in the Early Years are taught to write for meaning with lots of opportunities to write for different audiences and purposes; creating lists, labels, letters and stories for others to read and enjoy. Our children are taught to write alongside the teaching of phonics and benefit from observing quality modelled, shared and guided writing both as a whole class or part of a small group.

Children in Key Stage One, access RWI Phonics which incorporates both reading and writing. The children have opportunities weekly to produce pieces of writing linked to the Story Book they are reading. 

Children in Early Years and KS1 take part in ‘Talk through Stories’ sessions, three times a week, which encompasses the development of spoken language and preparing sentences verbally before writing, planning through images and actions and producing written narratives as a final outcome.  

Children in Key Stage 2 continue to develop a love of writing linked to the ‘book based’ writing curriculum and the wider curriculum subjects. Content are carefully planned and delivered to provide a context for learning and a deeper understanding of an author’s style or the context/culture in which a particular book is set.  Teachers pre-teach relevant facts, vocabulary and cultural literacy, especially when the children are unlikely to have encountered the subject matter before.

English contributes to many other subjects, as a form of communication, and we value the importance in giving our children the opportunity to apply and use their reading and writing skills across the curriculum and in real life contexts.