Children will experience a range of high-quality texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry promoting curiosity and engagement whilst providing opportunity to write in role. The Literacy Curriculum planning sequences are used to ensure that National Curriculum requirements are embedded, making the grammar purposeful. There are always a mixture of shorter, longer and extended writing outcomes where the audience and purpose is clear and exciting for children.

In fiction, they focus on characters, settings and story language. In non-fiction they look at different features of information texts. Sentences are a focus in writing. Children have the opportunity to compose sentences orally before sequencing them to form short narratives. Children are exposed to new vocabulary and are encouraged to use this within their own writing to engage readers. Punctuation is beginning to be used to support meaning. Children are encouraged to check their own writing to ensure it makes sense and they are given opportunities to share their work with peers and teachers.

Phonics Bug is used to deliver Letters and Sounds. These daily sessions focus on building on the work from EYFS using phonic knowledge and skills already learnt. Grapheme-phoneme correspondences and the blending of sounds into words are a focus. Children learn to spell more complex words including common exception words and apply them in their writing. Through a book-based curriculum for writing they are given opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Spoken language is developed throughout the year using a range of activities.

Handwriting - Penpals

• sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly
• form lowercase letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place
• form capital letters
• form digits 0–9 correctly
• understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (letters that are formed in similar ways)
• leave spaces between words.