Leadership - putting writing into action

As an early years practitioner, I am always looking for ways to improve standards. And one area in particular that always needs a boost is writing. But we cannot begin to tackle writing without thinking about the other areas of literacy as they are intrinsically linked.

To be a good writer you also need to be articulate, have a wide range of vocabulary, and a good bank of ideas to bring to your writing. As leader of an inner city school reception unit, it is even more important to continually assess provision to ensure there are lots of opportunities for speaking and listening, reading and writing. The children arrive in our nursery well below the level that is expected for their age, and so we are always striving to achieve accelerated progress to help them catch up to where they should be.

STRUCTURED APPROACH

So how do we tackle this problem? First, we look at each area of provision and identify what we can provide to encourage those key literacy skills. For example, in the sand and water area, having laminated recipe sheets and books for the children to read, and in the building area providing pens and paper to encourage the children to list materials they will need to complete their building. This is something that needs to be continually reviewed.

Next we need to look at the systems used to teach phonics, and in Southwark we use a very structured program that has been proved to have a great impact on the children’s learning.

Finally, what other tools can we give to our children to help improve their writing? I think that the answer partly lies in an initiative that encompasses all the different styles of learning to provide children with a bank of ideas and an increasing range of vocabulary.

TALK FOR WRITING

We have an initiative called ‘Talk for Writing’. The idea is that you use a simple text and read it to the children several times until they are really familiar with it. Alongside this you provide opportunities for the children to recreate the story using small world. The next step is to add actions to the story, encouraging the children to be involved in choosing the actions, but also using some standard actions for connectives and starters. After retelling the story several times using the actions, you then draw a story map.

You have now catered for the auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic learners. The impact this has on the children’s quality and quantity of writing is impressive. The children now have a bank of ideas to draw from, so when faced with that blank piece of paper the task is a little less daunting.

Leisa Towle is reception leader at Southwark Primary School in Nottingham