Impact Counts - A moderation success story from one of our Ready Steady Write Schools, Arden Primary School, Stockport.

At Literacy Counts, we are thrilled to celebrate the recent success of Arden Primary School in their external moderation for writing outcomes, which took place on June 24th, 2024. This event marks a significant milestone in affirming the school's commitment to fostering literacy skills among its students.

Arden Primary School’s approach to writing is deeply rooted in empowering students with essential skills that transcend the classroom. They recognise that literacy is not just about reading and writing—it’s about equipping children with the ability to express themselves effectively and engage meaningfully with the world around them.

Central to their success is the implementation of ‘Ready Steady Write’. The resource’s evidence-based approach forms the backbone of Arden’s daily writing lessons from Reception to Year 6. It revolves around using high-quality 'Vehicle Texts' from various genres to inspire children, ensuring a structured and engaging writing journey.

The results speak for themselves: For Arden, in 2022, 52% of students met the expected standard in writing; by 2024 (and since the implementation of Ready Steady Write), this number surged to 80%. This remarkable result underscores the effectiveness of Arden’s approach in nurturing confident and capable writers through Ready Steady Write.

During the moderation process, Arden’s Year 6 team received high praise from the moderation team for their articulate insights and confident assessment judgements. The moderators commended the school for its consistency and accuracy in teacher assessment judgements, noting the collaborative approach across year groups as a significant contributing factor to their outstanding outcomes.

The “Ready Steady Write” approach is well-embedded across all year groups, providing a clear and structured sequence of lessons that help reduce cognitive load. This consistency aids pupils in understanding and engaging with the writing process.

Many of the comments from the moderators focused on elements of Ready Steady Write that were well implemented at Arden Primary School:

Whole School Consistency: ‘The “Ready Steady Write” approach is well-embedded across all year groups, providing a clear and structured sequence of lessons that help reduce cognitive load. This consistency aids pupils in understanding and engaging with the writing process.’

Daily Sentence Accuracy: ‘Pupils consistently demonstrated excellent use of punctuation, reflecting the effectiveness of daily sentence accuracy implemented across the school. Daily sentence accuracy practice has had a significant positive impact, evident in the improved quality and precision of writing.’

Crafting Writers: ‘Pupils effectively used appropriate tone and register, adapting their writing style to suit various contexts and purposes.’

High-Quality Texts: ‘The high-quality texts chosen have enriched pupils' reading experiences, providing a substantial foundation for their writing skills.’

Non-Fiction Secure: ‘Non-fiction writing was particularly strong, with pupils producing clear, formal, and purpose-driven work that supports all levels of writers effectively.’

Vocabulary Focus: ‘Vocabulary is a significant strength. Pupils are explicitly taught and can correctly use and spell a wide range of vocabulary in their writing.’

Pupils effectively used appropriate tone and register, adapting their writing style to suit various contexts and purposes.

Looking ahead, Arden remains committed to building on their success, acknowledging areas for further improvement such as spelling accuracy. They are dedicated to ensuring that every student continues to thrive in their writing development, equipping them with the skills they need to succeed academically and beyond.

At Literacy Counts, we applaud Arden Primary School for their unwavering dedication to literacy education and their achievements in this writing moderation.

Ready Steady Write (new and improved Read to Write) is comprehensive and evidence-based. It provides a sequenced, ambitious curriculum, that places quality literature at its core. Our units have been carefully mapped out to match the entire statutory curriculum for writing. And now there is an exciting update! The new PLUS+ features (free for members) encompasses new units including Shakespeare (Year 2 - Year 6), Olympics (EYFS - Year 6) and much more to come! These Ready Steady Write PLUS+ units offer more choice for your school while supporting curriculum design.

See the impact in your school and get your free sample access today by emailing hello@literacycounts.co.uk, calling 07522 514759 or visiting www.literacycounts.co.uk.