Writing

Writing is a key pillar of our English curriculum and an essential tool for communication, creativity, and critical thinking. At our school, we follow the CUSP Writing curriculum – a carefully sequenced and knowledge-rich programme that supports children in becoming confident, articulate writers.

CUSP Writing is underpinned by a clear progression of skills, ensuring that pupils build strong foundations in transcription—through systematic spelling instruction and the Kinetic Letters handwriting approach—and composition, where they learn to articulate ideas and structure them effectively. Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and applied meaningfully within writing tasks, enabling children to write with accuracy, flair, and purpose.

Each unit is rooted in high-quality texts and meaningful contexts, providing pupils with rich models of language and structure. Through this approach, children are empowered to write across a range of genres, developing their voice and style while deepening their understanding of audience and purpose.

Our aim is to nurture enthusiastic writers who take pride in their work, write with confidence, and understand the power of their words.

At St Martin's, Writing is more than a subject—it’s a gateway to creativity, self-expression, and powerful storytelling.

Intent

At our school, we believe that writing is a powerful tool for communication, creativity, and self-expression. Our intent is to ensure that all pupils become confident, capable writers who can express their ideas clearly, accurately, and with purpose.

Through the CUSP Writing curriculum, we aim to develop pupils’ knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and text structure, while fostering a love of writing and an understanding of its importance across the curriculum and beyond. As part of this, we use the Kinetic Letters handwriting programme to build the physical strength, stamina, and fluency needed for confident, legible writing.

Implementation

We follow the CUSP Writing curriculum, a carefully sequenced and knowledge-rich programme that builds pupils’ writing skills over time.

Each unit is rooted in high-quality texts and designed to develop both transcriptional and compositional skills. Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and revisited regularly to ensure retention and application. Pupils are given regular opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences, with a strong emphasis on planning, drafting, editing, and publishing. Writing is closely linked to reading, enabling children to draw on rich vocabulary and literary models to enhance their own work.

To support transcription, we implement the Kinetic Letters handwriting programme, which focuses on developing the physical strength, posture, and fine motor skills needed for fluent, legible handwriting. This approach combines movement with letter formation, helping pupils to build muscle memory and confidence in their writing. Regular, structured sessions ensure consistency and progression across year groups, laying a strong foundation for written communication.

Teachers use formative assessment to inform planning and provide targeted support, ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, make strong progress.

Writing is celebrated across the school through displays, publishing opportunities, and sharing work with wider audiences.

Impact

The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in the quality, confidence, and independence of our pupils as writers. Through the consistent and cumulative approach of CUSP Writing, children develop a secure understanding of grammatical structures, vocabulary, and authorial intent, which they apply confidently across a range of genres and subjects.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through a range of formative and summative assessments, including independent writing outcomes, moderation, and pupil voice. These show that pupils are making strong progress from their starting points, with increasing numbers achieving age-related expectations and greater depth by the end of each key stage.

Our focus on high-quality teaching, regular opportunities for extended writing, and targeted support for identified pupils has contributed to raising attainment across the school, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Gaps in attainment are closing, and pupils who previously struggled with writing are now producing work that reflects both technical accuracy and creative flair.

The Kinetic Letters handwriting programme has had a significant impact on pupils’ ability to write fluently and legibly. By developing core strength, posture, and fine motor control, pupils are better equipped to write with stamina and confidence. This has led to improved presentation, greater pride in written work, and increased independence in longer writing tasks.

Pupils leave our school as articulate, reflective writers who understand how to plan, draft, revise, and publish their work. They are equipped with the tools to write for a range of purposes and audiences, and they take pride in their writing.

Most importantly, they see themselves as writers – capable, confident, and ready for the next stage of their education.

Year Group Overviews

Year 1 - Long Term Plan

Year 2 - Long Term Plan

Year 3 - Long Term Plan

Year 4 - Long Term Plan

Year 5 - Long Term Plan

Year 6 - Long Term Plan

Big Ideas

CUSP Writing is built on the belief that writing is a craft developed through explicit teaching, practice, and reflection. It is knowledge-rich, with grammar, vocabulary, and structure taught cumulatively and applied purposefully. High-quality texts provide models for writing, inspiring pupils and shaping their understanding of genre, audience, and purpose.

Writing is taught as a process—planning, drafting, editing, and publishing—developing independence and pride. Vocabulary is central, enabling precise, expressive communication. The curriculum is inclusive, ensuring all pupils access success.

Writing is embedded across the curriculum, reinforcing its value as a tool for thinking, learning, and self-expression.

Content

The CUSP Writing curriculum develops pupils’ skills in transcription and composition through a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich approach. Spelling is taught systematically, and handwriting is developed using the Kinetic Letters programme, which builds strength, stamina, and fluency. Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and applied in meaningful contexts. Pupils write across a wide range of genres, learning to plan, draft, edit, and publish with increasing independence. High-quality texts model effective writing, while vocabulary development is embedded throughout.

Regular opportunities for extended writing and oral rehearsal support fluency, confidence, and creativity, ensuring all pupils become capable, expressive, and purposeful writers.

Sequencing

Sequencing is central to both the CUSP Writing curriculum and the Kinetic Letters handwriting programme. CUSP Writing follows a carefully structured progression, where knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and genre builds cumulatively over time. S

kills are revisited and deepened through deliberate practice, enabling pupils to write with increasing accuracy, confidence, and independence.

Alongside this, Kinetic Letters is sequenced to develop handwriting through physical strength, posture, and fine motor control before focusing on letter formation. This ensures pupils are physically ready to write fluently and legibly.

Together, both programmes provide a coherent, layered approach to developing skilled, confident, and expressive writers.

Oracy and Vocabulary

Oracy and vocabulary are central to the CUSP Writing curriculum. Pupils are taught to speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose, using talk to explore, rehearse, and refine their ideas before writing. Structured discussion, oral rehearsal, and sentence-level work support the development of fluent, expressive language.

Vocabulary is taught explicitly and revisited regularly, enabling pupils to use ambitious and precise language in their writing. High-quality texts provide rich models of language, while tiered vocabulary instruction ensures all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, can access and apply new words effectively, strengthening both spoken and written communication.

Assessment of Pupils

Assessment in CUSP Writing is ongoing, purposeful, and closely linked to teaching. Teachers use formative assessment to identify gaps, inform planning, and provide timely feedback.

Each unit culminates in a lead writing outcome, where pupils apply taught skills independently, demonstrating their understanding of genre, grammar, and vocabulary. These lead pieces are used to assess progress over time and inform summative judgements. Regular moderation ensures consistency and accuracy across year groups.

Assessment also includes pupil voice, enabling reflection on progress and attitudes to writing. This approach ensures all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, are supported to achieve their potential.

Reasonable adjustments for pupils with SEND

CUSP Writing is designed with inclusion at its core, ensuring all pupils, including those with SEND, can access and succeed in writing. Teachers use the Scaffolding Toolkit to provide targeted support, such as sentence stems, vocabulary prompts, and modelled writing, enabling pupils to engage with tasks at an appropriate level. Adaptive practice ensures that learning is responsive to individual needs, with content revisited and reinforced through small steps.

The Kinetic Letters handwriting programme supports pupils with fine and gross motor difficulties, building strength and control for fluent writing.

These strategies help close gaps and promote confidence, independence, and progress.

Empathy