“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”

~ Pablo Picasso ~

Intent

At Northfield St Nicholas, we are dedicated to equipping our children to become confident and effective communicators. Through our CUSP writing provision, we aim to equip children with the skills and confidence to communicate with purpose. Our writing curriculum makes meaningful links to our wider CUSP curriculum, such as links to history, geography and science. By drawing on this rich tapestry of knowledge, we provide students with a holistic understanding of the world, which forms the foundation for their writing journey.

Our expert teachers carefully weave subject knowledge into each writing module, giving students the opportunity to learn and practise essential skills before applying them to meaningful extended writing tasks. This approach ensures that learning is not only comprehensive but also embedded in long-term memory. In line with cognitive science principles, vocabulary is taught alongside direct instruction of Tier 2 and Tier 3 words, enhancing students’ language skills and comprehension abilities. We believe that repeated exposure to key concepts is crucial for deep learning, which is why the CUSP Writing curriculum follows a “Reduce and Revisit” model. By focusing on a select number of text types, we ensure that students have the opportunity to master these forms of writing throughout their primary journey. Furthermore, within the CUSP curriculum, punctuation and grammar are taught through daily GPS (Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling) lessons, providing students with the essential tools they need to become confident writers for life.

CUSP writing is taught daily for an hour in KS2. In KS1, children receive 2-3 one hour writing lessons per week as part of their English lessons. We use the CUSP sequence of learning for all writing lessons across the school, with most writing blocks lasting two weeks. The first week includes teaching the children the specific writing conventions needed for a specific genre, and allowing them to practice these skills. The second week is used to apply their learning to an extended piece of writing. Each writing genre of writing in each year group is covered twice a year, once in the autumn term and again in the spring or summer term.

What do we teach?

How can you help at home?

Create a place for your child to write

Ensure children have a quiet, well-lit area and access to writing supplies such is paper, pencils and crayons. Provide authentic writing opportunities for children to understand the purpose of writing – thank you notes, invitations, letters, shopping lists, stories etc.

Read widely and often

The best way to improve writing is reading! High-quality books expose children to ambitious vocabulary, techniques they can use in their own writing and a love for language.

Be a writing role model

Make sure your child sees you as a writer. Point out times you are using writing to communicate and discuss writing in the real world (e.g newspaper articles, advertisements, billboards, song lyrics as poetry). Incorporate quality vocabulary into conversations with your children that can spark discussions about language.