Understanding how to spell correctly is important in supporting children to organise their thinking around language and write with automaticity. Knowing how to apply spelling rules and recognising key words is empowering for children. Spelling plays a significant part of standardised assessment and is taught throughout the school.

Children are initially encouraged to spell using their phonic knowledge. Children are encouraged to “Fred talk” words to segment them in to sounds, before selecting the appropriate grapheme to spell them. This is further supplemented with the teaching of “red” words. These are words that may represent unusual sounds that cannot be decoded using phonics.

Beyond phonics, spelling across the school builds on the patterns children learn each year, both for phonetically plausible words and common exception words. From Year 1 onwards we use the Spelling Shed scheme to teach the spelling rules and patterns appropriate to each year group. The scheme uses a sequenced and multi-faceted approach to teaching spelling using different strategies and an opportunity to practise through an online game. Children’s progress and achievements on the Spelling Shed game can be monitored by teachers so that any concerns can be addressed. The Spelling Shed scheme is matched to the spelling expectations for each year group in the National Curriculum.

For more information please refer to the document below.