At Snodland CEP, we believe that reading and writing go hand-in-hand. There's no better way to inspire young writers than by immersing them in high-quality, engaging texts. We want our pupils to learn from the best, taking inspiration from amazing authors to develop their own unique voices.

Our exciting curriculum immerses pupils in a wealth of literature. This exposes them to new vocabulary, diverse language styles, different viewpoints and important issues and discussions. We carefully choose texts that will excite our pupils, teach them key life lessons, hook them into reading, and inspire them to follow in the author’s footsteps and become talented writers themselves.

Pathways to Write

We follow the Pathways to Write scheme, a comprehensive primary school writing programme. This scheme uses a mastery approach, utilising high-quality texts and detailed lesson plans to build strong writing skills. Our lessons are designed to be engaging, challenging, and purposeful, ensuring that children develop a deep understanding of the writing process and embed the focus GPS skills (or 'keys') that they have been learning.

To foster their intrinsic motivation and pride, children in Key Stage 2 receive a special publishing book. This is their dedicated space to present their best writing with their neatest handwriting and their own design ideas. These proudly-shared books are then celebrated with their class, other key stages, staff, visitors, or parents.

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS)

We integrate grammar, punctuation, and spelling (GPS) into our carefully planned writing lessons. Teachers use a "thinking out loud" process when modelling writing - deliberately drawing attention to how they apply these skills. In addition to this, we have a comprehensive GPS progression document. This ensures that grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills are also taught and practiced explicitly, with frequent revisits and reviews outside of English lessons.

Building Strong Transcription Skills

From Foundation Stage upwards, we understand the importance of developing and securing transcription skills (spelling and handwriting). We know that insecure transcription can significantly impact a child's cognitive load when writing.

We teach frequent, high-quality handwriting and spelling lessons every week. We achieve this through the use of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, Pathways to Spell and Morells Handwriting and by following our research-based handwriting progression. This ensures that all our children leave our school with these vital skills.