Sedlescombe Primary School, East Sussex

Whole school training day on “Big Writing” at Brighton University.

As part of Sedlescombe’s focus on raising standards of writing for all pupils a Training day was arranged for teachers and teaching assistants to attend a whole day’s presentation by Ros Wilson on ‘Big Writing’ at Brighton University. This presentation was also attended by several other schools.

During the day we learnt how to implement the concept of ‘Big Writing’ and the strategies to use in order to achieve our aim of raising the standards of writing for all pupils .’Big Writing ‘entails encouraging and enthusing children to write by the use of creative stimuli, introducing and sustaining a 5 day writing plan and using VCOP display boards (vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation) systematically throughout the school. It also encourages them to be proud of their writing.

Lessons take place throughout the week to prepare the children for the Big Writing session .Big Writing takes place at the same time each week in a calm and silent environment -a candle is lit (under careful supervision) and classical music is played quietly (preferably Mozart).The children have their own special folders and writing pens and during the session the teacher and teaching assistant move round the room encouraging the children and putting stickers in the margin when they have achieved the sessions success criteria(some teachers also provide grapes and raisins for completion of success criteria).Examples of children’s Big Writing are displayed throughout the school.

Big writing is marked using Assessment for learning strategies. Children are given one improvement to achieve during a specific planned time every week.

An unaided “Big Writing” is marked and levelled at the end of T1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 - with results entered on our school tracking system.

The impact of the partnership training has been significant:

• all staff received the same message and understand the concept and aims of ‘Big Writing’ and how to carry these out. They therefore work more efficiently as a team;
• children’s enthusiasm for writing has increased - they are proud of their folders and look forward to their weekly writing sessions where they know exactly what to expect and what is expected of them. They also use the aims in their writing throughout the rest of the curriculum;
• writing levels have significantly improved throughout the school with several children making 3 sub levels progress (21% in Reception ,33% in Year 2, 24% in Year 4,34% in Year 6) and in particular in year 5 where 65% of pupils have made more than 3 sub levels progress in one year.