English - Writing
Teaching children to read, write and speak is the vehicle through which children can access the entire curriculum. Being able to communicate in a variety of ways ensures that our children develop the necessary skills to become the inquisitive thinkers, conscientious learners, creative individuals and responsible citizens that we strive for our pupils to be.
Our English curriculum is based on teaching writing skills in a range of genres using high-quality models and texts. Many of our units are based on texts from a broad range of contexts (historical, non-fiction and fiction).
Children develop their skills as they progress through the curriculum. At Pixmore, we use our Silver, Gold and Platinum standards to help the children develop their writing skills in each year group. Children use these standards to see how well they are doing but also to give them next steps to develop their work.
The Writing Project
For the past 6 years, Pixmore pupils have taken part in a Writing Project which focuses on developing enjoyment for writing and allows our pupils to compete against other local schools. The Project started at Pixmore, developed by Sarah Inman (who was our English Lead & Deputy Head at the time). Each project begins with the children exploring a beautiful book. They then spend three weeks building vocabulary, exploring ideas and creating high-quality pieces of writing. The approach allows teachers to be as creative and cross-curricular as possible with their classes to produce high-quality writing. These are then used as displays across the entire school.
Since its beginnings, 18 schools are now involved in the local area each year and it is one of the highlights of the school year. An awards ceremony is held at the Broadway Theatre to recognise the efforts and talents of the children within the project. Mrs Inman has even written an article for the National English Teachers Association about the impact of the project.
Over the last few years, we have used some beautiful books including:
Zeraffa Giraffe by Dianne Hofmeyr
Journey by Aaron Becker
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Winter's Child by Angela McAllister
The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers
The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer
