Pilton Bluecoat Academy

Vision for Writing

“Writing permits me to be more than I am. Writing permits me to experience life as any number of strange creations.”

Alice Walker.

At Pilton Bluecoat C of E Academy, our vision of “Building Brighter Futures” is rooted in providing every child with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed. A key part of this is ensuring that all pupils develop a strong foundation in writing, enabling them to communicate their ideas clearly, creatively and with purpose.

To support this, we use the Ready Steady Write approach developed by Literacy Counts. This carefully structured programme provides a clear and engaging pathway for children to develop as confident and capable writers.

Ready Steady Write is built around high-quality, carefully selected texts which inspire children’s imagination and curiosity. Through these texts, pupils explore vocabulary, sentence structure and the craft of writing before applying these skills in their own independent pieces. This approach ensures that children are not only learning how to write, but also why writing matters and how it can be used to inform, persuade, entertain and express ideas.

The programme supports children to build writing skills progressively. Teachers guide pupils through a series of carefully planned steps that include exploring vocabulary, understanding text structures, practising key grammar skills and planning their ideas. By the time children reach their final piece of writing, they have developed the confidence and knowledge needed to write independently and successfully.

At Pilton Bluecoat, Ready Steady Write has had a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Children are increasingly able to:

• Write with greater confidence and independence

• Use ambitious vocabulary and varied sentence structures

• Understand different genres and purposes for writing

• Edit and improve their work with growing accuracy

• Develop pride in their writing and share their ideas with others

Importantly, Ready Steady Write supports all learners. The clear structure helps teachers adapt lessons to meet the needs of every child, including those who require additional support, ensuring that all pupils can access high-quality writing opportunities.

Through this approach, we aim to nurture creative, thoughtful and confident writers who are well prepared for the next stage of their education and able to express themselves clearly in the wider world.