Six detailed units of work for each year group from EYFS to year 6
Pathways to Write – Primary School Writing Programme
A writing programme for primary schools with a proven methodology built around units of work which develop vocabulary, reading and writing skills through the mastery approach.
Simple, manageable and effective
The units, for use with pupils from EYFS to year 6, provide clear detailed lesson plans and resources linked to high-quality texts to ensure engaging and purposeful English lessons. The mastery approach ensures pupils from reception to year 6 are fully engaged in the context for learning and gives opportunities for pupils to practise the skills they are taught through shorter writing tasks before applying these within an extended piece of writing.
Proven methodology
Flexible and inclusive
Pathways to Write suits a wide variety of class structures, with mixed-age planning available for all units of work. Units are linked to high-quality texts to ensure engaging and purposeful English lessons. Clear yet detailed lesson plans from reception to year 6 can be adapted to suit the needs of learners and resources are included. Effective teaching strategies to challenge greater depth writers are suggested within each unit of work. An introductory training video, methodology document and further supplementary materials are provided to support implementation.
To find out more about our programme, please see a sample pack.
Award-winning and bespoke
The Literacy Company have won a number of awards, most recently the ERA ‘Supplier of the Year’ 2025. Judges praised the ‘structured yet flexible approach that builds key literacy skills, boosts teacher confidence and delivers real impact in classrooms.’ A bespoke curriculum can be created from over 90 diverse, representative and thematic texts.
Schools are advised to choose from two units per half-term with an option to follow mixed-age planning.
Further documents within the package support adaptation and effective implementation of Pathways to Write across all primary year groups.
Age-related skills
Visit a Pathways to Write school with us
Key elements of Pathways to Write
The programme allows for flexibility for your experienced teachers along with support for those less experienced and ECTs. 4 to 5 weeks of planning gives schools and teachers time to incorporate other themes and topics into the curriculum.
Fully resourced sessions including teaching PowerPoints (for year 1 to year 6) to ease teachers' workload
Units linked to engaging and diverse texts
Progressive development vocabulary, reading and writing skills through the mastery approach
Links creatively to the wider curriculum
Challenges greater depth writers and easily adaptable for pupils working below
Contributes to the development of cultural capital
Full coverage of grammar and punctuation for each year group
Training video and methodology to support implementation
Ongoing support and contact with consultants
Mixed-age planning options available
Clear modelled and shared writing examples
Kelsall Primary School – Pathways to Write – Case Study
'...teachers have a much better subject knowledge – particularly where grammar terminology is concerned. There [...]
One‑off Setup Cost (1st Year)
Paid once. Includes your first year of access.
Prices shown below are for a one‑form‑entry school. Costs scale by form entry.
Prices are subject to VAT.
| Standard | Premium | Premium+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole School | £2000 | £2250 | £2500 |
| EYFS | £300 | £350 | £375 |
| KS1 | £600 | £700 | £800 |
| KS2 | £1200 | £1400 | £1600 |
This cost is paid once when you join. It is not your annual subscription.
Annual Subscription (2nd Year Onwards)
Paid every year after your first year.
| Access level | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Full (KS1+KS2) | £250 |
| KS1 Only | £125 |
| KS2 Only | £125 |
This cost begins in the 2nd year and continues annually.
FAQs
If you have any other questions, email them to us on online@theliteracycompany.co.uk.
How does Pathways to Write support the grading of the Ofsted Toolkit (2025)?
Pathways to Write provides schools with an evidence-based, carefully sequenced programme that uses high-quality texts and links neatly to other areas of the curriculum. Progression is mapped from EYFS to year 7 so that pupils can build on previously taught skills and meet new learning as appropriate. Each unit has a repeated structure, with assessment points built in at the beginning and end, so teachers and pupils have a clear end point and expectations. Skills can be adapted for pupils struggling to keep up with the curriculum and related key documents support teachers with how to do this.
Can you move between single age and mixed-aged units?
Yes, absolutely. The content and skills of the mixed-age units overlap with the single age programme and both sets are available to schools using the Pathways Platform. This means that a schools can use Pathways where the make up of classes differs across the school and can change from one year to the next. It is advisable to use the overview to map out which texts will be taught in which class so that there is no crossover. There are multiple units for each half term so this need not be an issue.
How is oracy prioritised in the programme?
Oracy is built into every unit. Role play, drama and discussion activities are planned in and questions are included to prompt conversation. Pupils are given opportunities to work together through each session in a variety of ways and teachers can plan in further opportunities to suit the needs of their class. A higher priority has been given to oral rehearsal of sentences and retelling of narratives in Year 1 and the mixed-age Y1/2 units.
Does Pathways to Write reflect recommendations in the writing framework?
Pathways to Write is rooted in research and evidence-based practice and so it does reflect many of the recommendations from The writing framework. Key recommendations such as understanding that composition begins orally, ensuring that pupils are secure before moving on and ensuring that pupils master sentence structure are cornerstones of Pathways to Write. The programme also ensures that each stage of the writing process is considered and that pupils experience high-quality models.
Is training included with the programme?
When you purchase the programme with the online platform, you will have access to the ‘getting started’ videos and guides as well as other mini CPD videos in the leadership area. Our consultants can also offer bespoke support and training for all schools. To ensure this support is tailored to the needs of your school, ask for a free initial consultation with head teachers/ senior leaders. School support can be delivered in school or online.
I am ready to start seeing consistent results from my English curriculum.
The suite of resources we use from The Literacy Company has transformed the delivery of our English Curriculum. We know they have been written by experts in the field who are passionate about exposing children to really good picture books and about helping schools to implement a mastery curriculum for all children. The standard of our writing was noted by Ofsted in February 2020, as was the well mapped out and well sequenced curriculum.
Our teachers and children love it and the impact on our children's writing is already evident. We can see much more evidence of regular writing at length. The children are really engaged and because of the cross-curricular links, the vocabulary is noticeably improved.
'We have adopted the Mastery in Writing, Pathways to Write approach, and the results have been phenomenal. The response from staff, children and inspectors has been overwhelmingly positive; a recent pupil survey showed that children's attitudes to writing have improved greatly. Children adore using the recommended quality texts as a stimulus and the quantity and quality of writing in books has improved significantly. I could not recommend the Literacy Company highly enough.’
Pathways is a thoroughly well-planned approach to teaching writing. It also covers inference and deduction as well as harvesting effective new vocabulary from quality texts that engage and enthuse all the children. I was particularly impressed that some very hard to reach boys were keen to write. I was initially sceptical that a picture book would provide the challenge and depth that we needed to achieve mastery. I needn’t have been!
The ‘Pathways to Write’ planning has provided us with a strong focus on the progression of skills within our writing. We have seen a strong rise in both staff confidence and pupil engagement through exciting texts this year. We highly recommend using these units.
The work of leaders and teachers to put in place new approaches to the teaching of writing has been particularly effective. Staff have welcomed these approaches and pupils are making stronger progress in writing in Key stage 1 and Key stage 2 as a result. Current higher-attaining pupils in key stage 1 are making stronger progress than before in writing. During the inspection, when writing about toys from the past, pupils in Year 2 used their knowledge of grammar to produce work of a high standard.
Pathways to Write has completely transformed English at Farnworth. Staff love teaching the units, which are very easy to follow yet so full of amazing opportunities to develop children’s skills progressively. This approach enables us to foster a love of literature through memorable experiences that are accessible to all. Children are so engaged and enthusiastic, and staff feel renewed by such a fun, creative approach to teaching.
'We love it because it is brilliant and makes a difference to our children!!!'
