Rome wasn’t built in a day. Talk for Writing Primary Expert Maria Richards explains why you must invest time and have a plan if you want to reap the potential benefits of Talk for Writing for your school.
Getting to the end point – real, quality independent writing
Emma Mann, from Penn Wood Primary, tells us how they get their pupils to the end point – real, quality independent writing. The stages of Talk for Writing support ‘the end point’, i.e. getting children to write well independently. In order to do this, we follow ‘imitation, innovation, independent application’.
Creating seasoned writers at Summerhill
How a Talk for Writing project at Summerhill Primary School transformed writing: “As leaders, it has been exciting to watch the teachers grow in confidence and develop the ability to teach writing in a more creative way. There is a buzz of excitement around the school”.
Putting reading up front at Front Lawn Primary
Front Lawn Primary has been on a journey of improvement since 2013, when Talk for Writing was first introduced. Reading results are greatly improved with children making accelerated progress. As a result of teaching reading to the whole class, children are now more confident in discussing a text.
Getting Yew all Reading
Maureen Carroll, Talk for Writing Lead at Yew Tree Primary in Birmingham, explains some of the steps the school has taken to embed a love of reading in the pupils: “Our main priority was developing a love of reading throughout the school in order to boost self-confidence…open up a world of unlimited opportunities”.
St Matthew’s CE Primary School, Birmingham
Having been awarded an MBE for Services to Education, Headteacher Paulette Osborne reflects on how Talk for Writing helped transform St Matthew’s CE Primary School, Nechells, Birmingham from a disaster into a shining example.
Talk for Writing at secondary level – Thomas Becket Catholic School
Gemma Wade, Assistant Principal and Director of Teaching and Learning, writes about how Talk for Writing helped move Thomas Becket Catholic School, Northampton, from special measures to 80% good or better for teaching and learning in just one year.
Outstanding evidence of the writing process at East Hunsbury
Liz Martin, project leader at East Hunsbury Primary Schol: “the format of units in our books, which illustrates the Talk for Writing process clearly, show the progress…but they also showed the strength of self-editing; an area clearly highlighted in the new curriculum…which fits perfectly with the TfW strategy”.
Raising expectations at Selby Community Primary
Ian Clennan, headteacher of Selby Community Primary School, explains how the Talk for Writing approach rescued writing from the doldrums in his school and has the potential to transform writing: “we have learned many things; the most important being that we had made things too easy for the children for far too long”.