I have a background of over 25 years' Upper Key Stage Two Teaching and Literacy Leadership. Combined with more recent experience as a Literacy Consultant, I have a proven record of accelerating progress in writing. With a specialism in grammar and syntax, I have developed a firm belief that accurate and creative sentence structure is the key to children becoming competent writers. My experience has led to the conviction that the teaching of basic grammar skills is often haphazard or is left too late, especially when teaching focuses on genre and text structure. This concern led me to develop a strategy that addresses this issue.SENTENCE ANALYSIS STRATEGYEnglish teaching in primary schools now has to respond to the increasing national requirements for the understanding and assessment of grammar. Whilst working as a Literacy Consultant for the local authority, I developed a diagnostic system called the 'Sentence Analysis Strategy'. This strategy provides a thorough audit of the children's sentence structure across a school. It then identifies critical gaps in teaching and learning, and equips the school with useful numerical data about progress in key areas of writing. It culminates in the creation of a bespoke Sentence Teaching Programme for the whole school, the spiral nature of which ensures that all areas of basic grammar are fully embedded, as well as providing CPD and opportunities for teaching more creative syntax. This is particularly useful for teachers who are not English specialists. The Teaching Programmes are fully in line with the new English Curriculum at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and are now being successfully implemented in almost 20 primary schools in my local area.IMPACTThe effectiveness of the Sentence Teaching Programme has been proven by tracking the progress of pupils over a period of three years - with very positive results. TRAININGI also provide training in grammar and sentence structure for teachers and support staff.