Everybody Writes - Exploring writing beyond the classroom

Is your school a writing school?

Take a few moments to consider how writing is supported across your school. Use this chart to identify the strategies which are already in place and to create targets which could be embedded in your English Action Plan or used as a focus for CPD.

Whole school
Staff
Pupils

Whole school

	Getting started	Making progress	Aiming high
Whole-school environment	Different types of writing are displayed Children's writing is celebrated in public spaces Children contribute to boxes placed around the school eg. School Council suggestions	Children create and contribute to signage across the school Children produce a school guide for visitors Children write notes to communicate with their friends Children contribute to interactive notice boards	Writing displays show that children use writing skills across the curriculum Children's writing is published in a range of forms and formats There are specific outdoor spaces for writing Children write notes to adults as a form of school wide communication All staff including kitchen staff and mid-day supervisors are encouraged to model their everyday writing

Cross-curricular links	Work samples show evidence of cross curricular writing Classteachers look for writing opportunities across subjects	Planning shows evidence of writing objectives incorporated within other subject areas Subject co-ordinators identify opportunities for cross-curricular writing	Cross-curricular links are highlighted within the curriculum map ensuring a range of genres are addressed through all subject areas

Community involvement	Children make a book suitable for a younger reader Parents are invited to participate in writing events Parents are invited in to see work produced by children	Children design and produce invitations for parents and members of the school community Children make a book suitable for a targeted group e.g. older members of the community, nursery, a charity	Children interact with members of the local community via a range of communication methods including, e-mail, letter writing Children produce writing for a targeted audience within the community e.g. history of the area

School library	The library celebrates writers through regular displays of featured authors The school librarian is actively involved in introducing new writers to children	Writing clubs are hosted in the school library at lunchtimes or after school Children request new resources via the library suggestion box	The library runs a homework club which supports children with their research skills, e.g. note-taking Library is open at lunchtimes with parents welcomed after school

Classroom teachers

	Getting started	Making progress	Aiming high
Classroom environment	Displays celebrate children's writing	Children are encouraged to use the classroom writing areas independently Displays around the classroom support the writing process, e.g. word banks	Children are invited to design writing areas in the classroom Classroom celebrates writing process with displays of drafts
Teachers as writers	Children have incidental exposure to the teacher as a writer, e.g. writing cards or notes	Teachers display the ways in which they use writing, and why they use it, throughout a typical day	Teachers' achievements as writers are shared with staff and pupils e.g. displaying shared writing, published articles, competition entries
Professional development	Subject Coordinator attends panel meetings and cascades information to other teachers	English Subject Coordinator attends LA INSET and regularly hosts writing focused staff meetings	The school hosts a writing club for staff Cluster groups plan writing events eg. planning a writer residency across a local network or organising inter-school writing events Staff have signed up to become Everybody Writes Enthusiasts

Pupils

	Getting started	Making progress	Aiming high
Events and writing groups	Children make regular written contributions to the school newsletter Children are exposed to a range of good quality writing, e.g. from books, newspapers and letters	Writing activities are planned around annual school events e.g book week, sports day, school fete Children work with adult support to produce a school newsletter Visiting writers work with children Special interest groups provide regular writing opportunities eg a talk from a wildlife charity	The school hosts an annual Everybody Writes Day Children's writing is regularly entered into competitions. Pupils are inspired to write for pleasure A range of visitors share the importance of writing in their lives
ICT	Children learn the writing conventions of e-mailing and blogging	Children's writing is featured on the school website Children contribute to pages on web site	Children communicate via e-mail with another school Children maintain their own web pages on the school website Children make informed choices about the appropriateness of using electronic communication e.g. SMS, e-mail, handwritten note, letter
Supported groups	Teachers set children's writing targets Opportunities are identified for able pupils to engage with challenging writing activities Pupil progress data is used to identify groups of writers who are underperforming	Teachers share targets with children and display strategies for achieving them Able pupils respond to a text using a chosen genre of writing	Children work with teachers to set and agree their own writing targets Able pupils have opportunities to subvert and manipulate genres
Transition	Children make a �welcome� guide for new pupils	Year 7 pupils write FAQs for Year 6 pupils	Children use letters or e-mail to communicate with their upcoming secondary schools or teachers and respond to communications from new pupils in their current school