Big Writing is a teaching approach to writing designed to rapidly and effectively raise the standards of writing through the ‘fast, fun and lively’ teaching of the ‘writing voice’. This approach to writing is highly effective from Reception to year 6.

Every Friday the children take part in a Big Writing lesson with a particular focus. This session is a time for children to bring together the skills (VCOP) that they are learning. Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation will be taught across the curriculum throughout the week.

An important part of the Big Writing philosophy is the ‘importance of talk’. ‘If a child can say it, a child can write it’.

Encouraging talk is key to unlocking a child’s writing voice. Talk is where the thought process for writing begins. By enriching a child’s vocabulary and understanding of how language works, the better writers they can become. 'Big Talk Time' takes place for 15 minutes in each class, before the children go home on Thursdays.  The children are encouraged to continue exploring this theme with their parents, ready for their Big Writing session on the Friday morning. 

After every Big Writing session each Friday the class teacher marks the children's work and presents an award called the 'Royal Writer', to the child in their class, who has made exceptional progress in their writing.  The Royal Writer gets a special chair/throne to sit on for the week in class, as well as a special pencil case to use- full of quality stationery for them to use in any subject and their writing is put on display for the whole school to read!  This achievement is also celebrated with our whole school community - in the weekly newsletter.