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Christ Church CE Primary School
'Let your light shine' Matthew 5:16
Spelling
Spelling Statement of Intent
At Christ Church Primary School, we aim to equip every child with the skills they need to become confident and capable spellers. Spelling involves being attentive to words, using phonics strategies, and exploring spelling patterns and meanings to achieve accuracy. We recognise that spelling must be explicitly taught and we do this through distinct spelling lessons. Ultimately, we want children to 'master' spellings and apply them independently in their writing.
Spelling Statement of Implementation
In Reception and Year 1, children develop their spelling skills through our systematic, synthetic phonics scheme, Unlocking Letters and Sounds. Children practise during their daily phonics lesson, although this is enriched through free play activities, through sharing rich and engaging texts and interacting with adults. Parents and carers are supported to help their children through workshops. Beginning in Year 1, children are tested weekly on common exception words linked to their phonics phase and / or high frequency words. These are shared with families. At the end of the synthetic phonics programme in Year 2, children move on to Spelling Shed -
a whole-school spelling curriculum, which covers each of the objectives from the National Curriculum appendix for spelling.
This online platform maps out the spellings taught in each year group and offers a common approach for each unit and across year groups. It includes high-frequency words and the statutory words for Y3-6. Building on their phonetic foundations, children are taught to segment spellings into the smallest units of sound and cluster them into syllables to read and write words efficiently (orthography). Children also study words, word parts, their meanings and how this affects spelling (morphology). Their knowledge of common morphemes such as root formations, prefixes and suffixes is consolidated across the programme. Most lessons also include an etymology element, allowing children to learn about the origin of words.
An overview of the term's spellings is sent home to parents at the beginning of a new term, and these are also made available on both the class pages and ClassDojo. Most children will work on 10 spellings a week. Each week, a new spelling objective is taught through a distinct spelling lesson. Children may then use a Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check sheet to practise spellings every day, in class. It is expected that children will practise these spellings at home in preparation for their assessment at the end of the week.
Spelling Statement of Impact
We use weekly spelling tests to assess pupils’ understanding of high-frequency words, spelling rules, and common exception words. This regular assessment enables teachers to monitor progress closely and identify areas where further support may be needed. We adopt a mastery approach, ensuring that all children learn the same spellings to promote consistency and high expectations across the cohort. Where appropriate, scaffolding is provided to support learners in accessing the spellings successfully. When gaps in understanding are identified, targeted interventions are put in place to ensure every child has the opportunity to secure the skills required to become a confident and competent speller. This approach ensures spelling knowledge builds year on year, supporting pupils to apply their skills independently in writing and across the curriculum.