Writing

English at Hethersett VC Primary School

We follow a Mastery approach to English through the award-winning programme Pathways to Write, developed by The Literacy Company. This nationally recognised scheme is designed to develop vocabulary, reading, and writing skills using high-quality texts and proven methodology.

Our Approach

High-quality texts form the foundation of every unit, inspiring pupils and providing rich language models.
Skills are taught, practised, and mastered through short writing tasks before being applied in extended pieces.
Vocabulary development is central, building on our whole-school commitment to a rich and varied language environment.

Each unit follows a structured sequence:

Gateway sessions assess prior learning and hook pupils into the context.
Pathway sessions introduce and embed mastery skills through varied genres and activities.
Writeway sessions culminate in an extended, high-quality written outcome.

Why Pathways to Write?

Aligned with the National Curriculum and informed by the latest research.
Flexible and inclusive, supporting mixed-age classes and pupils working at greater depth.
Fully resourced, including detailed lesson plans, teaching PowerPoints, and assessment exemplification.
Progressive and consistent, ensuring skills are revisited and deepened across EYFS to Year 6.

The programme also integrates spoken language activities, drama, and cross-curricular links, making English lessons engaging and purposeful.

Our Vision

We aim for every child to:

Become fluent, confident writers who can express ideas clearly and creatively.
Read widely and for pleasure, accessing a range of genres and text types.
Develop strong spoken language skills, supporting communication and comprehension.

You can find end-of-year expectations for writing, reading, and spoken language for each year group in the attached documents. For more detail on termly skills, please contact your child’s class teacher.

Learn more about Pathways to Write here. [theliterac...pany.co.uk]