In the EYFS, the teachers follow the Early Excellence model to deliver learning opportunities to achieve the writing Early Learning Goals:

Children at the expected level of development will:

- Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed;

- Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters;

- Write simple phrases and sentences that can be ready by others.’ (DfE, Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, 2024 handbook)

Children are taught the skills for writing through our phonics programme, Success for All Phonics.  In their daily phonic sessions, children are taught the letter formations for both lower- and upper-case which they practise forming.  In the Spring Term, digraphs begin to be introduced and the children practise writing the letters to represent these sounds. In the Summer Term, the children then begin to write modelled and dictated sentences using the sounds they have been taught.   

The children continue to develop their writing through weekly guided writing sessions where the children will work in a small group with an adult.  The class book for that week acts as a stimulus for the children's writing.  The children will have the sound mats linked to the phonics programme available and links are made to the sounds which have been taught. 

In most of the areas of the continuous provision, there are opportunities for the children to write independently.  Clipboards, paper and writing utensils are available so that the children can write freely. 

Vocabulary

We know that ‘by the age of just 3, children from low-income families are exposed to 30 million fewer words than their peers’ (Hart and Risley, 2003). This is known as the word gap and has a very real impact on children’s attainment. This is why we teach vocabulary across the school.

In the EYFS, the children are taught tier 1 and tier 2 vocabulary linked to everyday activities such as naming objects found in a kitchen etc.