Children’s author Onjali Rauf says: “Children’s literature does so much more than entertain, it’s the front line and the foundation of our grasp and understanding of what is good and what is bad in the world.”

Our writing curriculum is driven by stories, and it is our responsibility to make sure these stories enable children to develop into the best version of themselves. These stories must be a window to the world where the tales of different people are shared by diverse voices – voices all of our children can identify with. Our approach to writing helps Oasis students develop competence and character in equal measure.

In order to develop competence, being successful at something, we teach in a way that aims to liberate our learners; they have a complete set of tools and structures that can be applied to their writing in all contexts – across all subjects! We work to ensure students understand both what to write and how to write.

Our teaching is guided by the latest research with modelling at the heart of all we do. From Primary through to Sixth, children are walked carefully through every aspect of writing until they are confident to become more independent. They are supported to have a deep and flexible understanding of sentence structure. Grammar is highlighted in every single lesson and revisited to ensure that they become technically accurate writers. Modelling and carefully planned lesson sequences also show students how to carefully craft a whole piece,  improving cohesion in our young writers. This deliberate practice of writing small chunks and then the whole piece with an emphasis on teacher demonstration is raising standards in our children. They are becoming competent in their writing.

For us to help our children develop character, every writing unit is stimulated by a powerful story. These stories are chosen carefully, in line with the Oasis ethos and 9 Habits, reflect cultural, social and linguistic diversity, as well as introducing a world beyond their experience. They will recognise how we’re all continually developing our character and can be transformed into the best versions of ourselves.

We use a range of powerful poetry and fiction to stimulate our writing with a mixture the contemporary and classic, sharing diverse voices across all age ranges. These texts must be powerful enough to inspire our children to write to develop their own perspective and voice.

This National Storytelling Week is themed ‘Your story – my story’, which could not be more reflective of what we are trying to sew across both our character and competence threads here in Oasis. Why not take some time this week to write down something in your own voice – your own story - to share with others.