At Willows Primary School we are using 'Big Write' to develop writing skills across the school.

The programme is delivered through two key areas:

• The Big Talk
• The Big Write

The second main focus of the programme is the ‘Big Write.’  The ‘Big Write’ is a modern, exciting way to teach pupils writing and includes all the necessary skills to create imaginative and competent writers in our school.

From Year 1 to Year 6 every Friday the pupils complete a ‘Big Write’ task.  Friday mornings are split into two sections, the VCOP session and the independent Big Write.

The VCOP session consists of fun, enjoyable activities where pupils engage with different aspects of language.

Pupils are encouraged to explore the English language through the following areas:

V: vocabulary - WOW! words
C: connectives for joining and developing ideas
O: openers for beginning sentences
P: punctuation

The pupils will complete a range of fun activities and games in small groups which promotes confidence, teamwork and learning from others.

After morning break the pupils use their knowledge of VCOP and the English language to complete a written task independently.  This task gives the pupils the opportunity to display their current writing skills.  The work is then marked against the pupils’ current targets by the classteacher and feedback is provided.

The day before the ‘Big Write’ the pupils are set a ‘Talk Homework’ talk.  This will be specific to the writing task the following day and allows the pupils to discuss and formulate ideas for their writing with their families at home.

In the Foundation Stage ‘Big Talk’ is extended across the curriculum to promote as many speaking and listening opportunities as possible in preparation for the written tasks in Year 1.