1. Purpose and Vision
At Abbey Hill, our Writing curriculum gives every child the power to communicate with clarity, creativity and confidence. We believe that writing is more than a skill: it is authorship. Our Abbeyhillians know that as writers, they are authors with a voice, an audience and a purpose. Writing reflects our school values of Ambition—to be bold and adventurous in our ideas—and Pride—to take care in presentation and celebrate our achievements. By learning to write in Early Years and Key Stage 1, our pupils are equipped with the strong foundations needed to write with purpose, authenticity and impact in Key Stage 2 and beyond.

2. Structure and Design
Our Writing curriculum is organised into three strands: transcription (spelling and handwriting), composition (ideas, organisation and effect), and grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. These ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum and build knowledge and skills progressively from Nursery to Year 6. We follow a clear, consistent sequence: immersion and oracy, short practice of key skills (dabbling), planning, extended writing, and editing. Every piece of writing has a real audience and authentic purpose so children understand why their writing matters. Our curriculum draws on a core set of high-quality books and short films which inspire language, structure and creativity. Non-fiction writing is carefully linked to wider curriculum topics, ensuring pupils can write well-informed pieces that use accurate subject-specific vocabulary.

3. Resources and Approaches
We use quality texts and short films as the central stimulus for writing, alongside carefully designed in-house resources which scaffold progression and reflect our children’s needs. Oracy and language acquisition are prioritised across every unit, giving pupils the vocabulary and confidence they need to express themselves as writers. Transcription skills are explicitly taught, with a strong whole-school focus on handwriting to secure fluency and pride in presentation, and a progressive spelling programme in KS2 to build accuracy and independence. Our approaches were chosen to ensure high expectations, equity, and opportunities for all pupils to achieve success as writers.

4. Application and Progression
Skills and knowledge are built systematically, from early mark-making and sentence building in EYFS and KS1, to ambitious, cohesive texts with clear purpose and effect in Upper KS2. Every writing outcome is linked to an authentic audience and purpose—whether publishing work for parents, persuading on real issues, explaining curriculum concepts, or creating stories to share with others. Across the curriculum, pupils write in meaningful contexts that allow them to apply and extend what they have learned. Through this process, they develop stamina, accuracy, creativity and resilience. By the end of their journey at Abbey Hill, all pupils leave us as ambitious, proud and confident authors—writers who understand the power of words and can use them to shape their futures.

Writing at Abbey Hill means truly being an author. That's why all pupils have the opportunity to have their superb writing fully published, just like in our most recent publication of poetry on our ambitions. This features every child from Nursery to Year 6.