Last week in Nursery, our young writers were busy with their new “Morning Job,” name writing. Each morning, children began the day by tracing their name and then ‘having a go’ at writing it independently. This gentle but purposeful routine offers the opportunity to support early writing in several important ways:
It has been wonderful to see the pride children take in the marks, letters and early words they are creating. Whether they are just beginning to explore how to hold a pencil or are already forming recognisable letters, each child is making meaningful progress—and they love seeing how their writing grows stronger each morning.
Reception – Drawing Club
In Reception, the children have been immersed in Drawing Club, inspired by educator Greg Bottrill’s approach, which combines storytelling, imagination, drawing, and early writing. Drawing Club encourages children to create meaningful drawings and then add the “magic code”—simple phonics-based words and labels—to bring their ideas to life. This supports writing development in a playful, purposeful way. So, in preparation for our theatre trip this week, the ‘Magic Box’ delivered a new story: The Gruffalo’s Child.
We explored new vocabulary from the story, including:
Children learned the meanings of each word and created class actions to help them remember and use them while reading.
Throughout the week, children completed a series of Drawing Club challenges:
These activities provide rich opportunities for children to practise applying their phonics skills, develop fine‑motor control, and express their creativity—while cultivating perseverance and enthusiasm for writing.
Year 1 Dinosaur Report Writing and Creating Fossils
In Year 1, students continued their work on Report Writing, using the fascinating topic of dinosaurs to organise information, facts, and observations. They are learning how reports are structured and how writers communicate clearly to teach their readers something new.
Alongside this, they have been exploring seasonal changes in nature, observing how trees differ, and learning the vocabulary used to describe them. Building on their excitement about the dinosaur egg, the children also created their own fossils, deepening their understanding of how we learn about the past through a hands-on, engaging process.
Across all year groups, it has been wonderful to see children motivated by meaningful, imaginative learning that helps them develop early writing skills with confidence and joy.
If you have any questions about how we support writing development, please feel free to reach out to your child’s class teacher.
Up and Coming Key Dates
Looking Ahead
It has been inspiring to see the excitement and pride the children bring to their early mark‑making and writing, and we can’t wait to see how their skills develop and grow. Thank you for your continued support as we journey alongside them, nurturing confident, creative young writers.
Yours sincerely,
