Writing

We are all writers

At St Michael’s Academy we endeavour to make writing a meaningful and memorable experience for the children by ensuring every unit of work has a clear audience and purpose.

Curriculum documents

Writing intent.pdf

Grammar progression.pdf

Progression through genres.pdf

Spelling progression.pdf

How is writing taught?

To kickstart our writing sequence we create a hook. This ranges from a video, music clip, picture or an experience. We also show our children a quality text to inspire young minds. We know that children who explore and hear a range of high-quality texts are better able to reflect on how writing devices affect the reader. Together, the class create a co-constructed success criteria where we are able to identify features from a writing style. From this, we generate ideas together through talking and jotting key vocabulary, plan, draft, revise, edit and publish. We use the Writing Rainbow as a tool for thinking, talking and writing, by looking at the ideas of writing, the grammar of writing and the techniques of writing. Providing structured writing opportunities allows children to understand how the writing process works, but we believe it is equally important to allow children to use and apply their learning by giving them time and space to write freely for their own purpose and pleasure.

We aim to teach a minimum of 5 writing lessons a week for 50 minutes.

Grammar and punctuation is taught daily at the start of every writing lesson for 10-15 minutes. This is in context to what our students are writing that day. Some grammar and punctuation lessons may require explicit teaching.

Precision spelling – minimum of 3 times a week.

Teaching of spelling rule - minimum of 3 times a week.

Weekly spellings are sent home. Handwriting – in years 3 and 4 – to do 10 minutes, at least 3 times a week. Year 5 and 6 – delivered to the class during autumn 1 for 20 minutes a week. From autumn 2, handwriting becomes an intervention.

Creative Writer Week

Children need to vary between longer carefully-constructed units of writing and opportunities to write quickly, in varying styles on a particular stimulus – a mixture of quick writing and slow writing.  

‘Creative Writer Weeks’ give opportunities to write fluently in a range of styles over a week. Using an initial stimulus or hook (a picture book, a film, an experience, a cross-curricular link, a cultural link etc) children have the opportunity to write in 4 or 5 different styles through the week. For example:   

Short story/diary entry/other piece of descriptive writing   
Poetry   
Balanced argument   
Letter   
Newspaper article or other report   
Persuasive writing

Creative Writer Weeks see the whole school writing using the same stimulus, with opportunities to then celebrate and reflect on children’s writing across the school. Examples in the past have included The Queen, The Rugby World Cup, London and The Foxes of St Michael's. 

Take a look at our latest Creative Writer display.

Creative Writers Week's 2025 - 2026

🌊 Autumn 2025 – Under the Ocean: A Journey into the Deep

Our Autumn 2025 whole‑school theme, “Under the Ocean,” took children on an unforgettable journey into the hidden world beneath the waves. Throughout the week, pupils explored the oceans as scientists, storytellers, poets, and documentarians—uncovering mysteries and imagining new ones.

To spark their curiosity, we used clips of Sir David Attenborough, a true national treasure, whose calming narration and breath‑taking documentaries helped children appreciate the scale, beauty and fragility of our oceans. These were paired with live footage from real ocean‑exploration robots, allowing pupils to witness bioluminescent creatures, deep‑sea landscapes, and rarely‑seen marine behaviours in real time. The sense of awe in the classrooms was electric.

Inspired by this remarkable content, the children created a stunning variety of writing across multiple genres, including:

Voice‑over scripts, echoing the style of Attenborough himself
Narratives imagining life in the uncharted depths
Blogs written from the perspective of ocean explorers
Poetry, including cinquains and haiku, capturing the beauty and mystery of the sea
Creature designs inspired by deep‑sea adaptations and bioluminescence

Children from Year 3 to Year 6 produced thoughtful, imaginative, and beautifully presented work that showcased their growing understanding of the ocean’s wonders—and the importance of protecting them.

The week was a powerful celebration of curiosity, creativity, and cross‑curricular learning, blending science, geography, literacy, and digital media into one rich learning experience. The excitement could be felt across the whole school.

Below is a glimpse of work from across the year groups, along with our whole‑school display board proudly showcased at the front entrance.

💻 Spring 2026 – Digital Dreams: Exploring the Wonder of the Web

This Spring, pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 took part in our whole‑school theme, Digital Dreams: Exploring the Wonder of the Web, a cross‑curricular project designed to run alongside Internet Safety Week. The week encouraged children to explore the online world—its opportunities, its challenges, and the responsibilities that come with being part of it. From the outset, it was clear that this was much more than a writing project; it became a shared journey in developing thoughtful, creative and responsible digital citizens.

Across the week, pupils worked through a diverse range of writing genres, each offering a different lens on life online. These included imaginative narratives such as The Day the Internet Died and The Internet Ate My Friend, thoughtful balanced arguments exploring whether the internet helps or harms, and reflective diary entries based on real‑life digital dilemmas. Children also produced blogs, persuasive pieces, newspaper reports, character writing, and more—showcasing maturity, originality and genuine insight into the wonders and worries of the digital age.

The week culminated in an unforgettable whole‑school concert, led by our Penfluencers, who challenged teachers to write and perform an original song using Suno, an AI music‑creation app, promoting online safety. The results were funny, creative and packed with important messages—quickly becoming a highlight of the term and a tradition we plan to continue.

From debating to storytelling, from reflection to AI‑powered music, Digital Dreams was a memorable celebration of creativity, technology and safe online practice. Below is a snapshot of work from Years 3–6, alongside our entrance display board.

Penfluencers

Writing is a huge part of our curriculum and learning across all subjects at St Michael’s Academy. Writing is an important form of self-expression and promotes self-reflection. To help promote a love for writing, we have recruited 9 Penfluencers, one from each class. Penfluencers work together to pass on their enthusiasm for writing. Penfluencers ensure their teacher plans a range of writing activities and are also the go-to person if anyone needs additional resources to support. Not only do they promote external writing competitions, they also design their own writing competitions and present these in assembly. 

Enrichment

We invite authors and poets to lead and inspire our children with workshops.

We celebrate literacy-themed events throughout the year, such as World Book Day.

As a school we take part in the Somerset Literacy Network competition, the BBC 500-word challenge and have our own poetry day. Several children across the school have had the opportunity to attend Able Writers’ days and collaboratively work with other schools in Yeovil

A.I.M. High Writing Day with Author Clive Piggott Tuesday, 17th March 2026

Pupils from St Michael’s Academy enjoyed an inspiring and energetic day of creativity as they travelled to Thornford CE Primary School for a special A.I.M. High Writing Day led by children’s poet and author Clive Piggott. Accompanied by Mrs Bailes, the group embraced a full day of writing, performing, and exploring the power of language.

Clive, a writer of children’s poetry, fiction and non‑fiction, is renowned for helping young authors develop both skill and confidence. His workshops are designed to take children from the page to the stage, blending creative writing with performance techniques that strengthen clarity, expression, and communication.

🌟 What Our Pupils Experienced

Throughout the day, our pupils worked alongside children from Thornford as they explored a range of core literacy skills. The displayed image shows a series of checked items representing the key curriculum themes covered, including:

Oracy
Fluency
Teamwork
Composition
Vocabulary
Critiquing
Grammar
Appreciating Literacy
Editing

These skills were developed through fun, engaging activities—ranging from performance poetry to collaborative writing challenges.

✏️ Creative Collaboration

Our pupils particularly enjoyed working in mixed groups with Thornford children. They shared ideas, experimented with vocabulary, and supported one another in crafting thoughtful and imaginative writing pieces.

🎭 From Page to Performance

One highlight was the opportunity to perform their work aloud. Clive encouraged every child to present their writing with confidence and precision, helping them practise essential oracy skills in an encouraging environment.

We are incredibly proud of how brilliantly our pupils represented St Michael’s Academy.
A huge thank you to Clive Piggott for his inspiring leadership, to Thornford CE Primary School for hosting us so warmly, and to Mrs Bailes for accompanying the group.

It was a day full of creativity, collaboration, and new skills — and we can’t wait to see how this inspires our writing back at school!