Spelling

Provision and/or strategies: approaches, adjustments and specific interventions expected to be made by settings according to the ages and stages of the CYP

Universal

• Plan the curriculum to focus on developing early phonological awareness (e.g. rhyming, alliteration, segmenting and blending) as the foundation for spelling, particularly in early development and for learners with gaps.
• Use assessment of spelling errors to identify patterns and inform targeted teaching of specific areas of need.
• Revisit prior learning regularly and support learners to activate and connect prior knowledge.
• Provide explicit, structured teaching of spelling, including:
  • Phonological knowledge (links between sounds and letters).
  • Orthographic knowledge (spelling patterns and conventions).
  • Morphological knowledge (word structure and meaning).
• Teach word structure and meaning (e.g. roots, prefixes, suffixes) to support spelling of unfamiliar and more complex words.
• Reinforce links between spelling, reading and writing to support transfer and deeper understanding.
• Teach learners strategies to identify, correct and learn from spelling errors.
• Teach independent spelling strategies (e.g. breaking words into parts, applying known patterns, checking against resources).
• Provide structured opportunities for rehearsal, practice and retrieval to support retention and build fluency in spelling.
• Use regular, short, structured practice routines to support automaticity.
• Support learners to manage cognitive load by reducing spelling demands where needed (e.g. providing word banks or key vocabulary) so they can focus on composition.
• Ensure spelling skills are applied within meaningful writing across the curriculum and, where appropriate, in functional and real-life contexts.
• Use meaningful and relevant contexts to practise spelling to increase motivation and retention.
• Use ICT and assistive technology (e.g. spell checkers, word processing tools) to support spelling and promote independence, particularly for older learners.
• Refer to key guidance documents to support high-quality teaching of spelling:
  • The National Curriculum in England - English Appendix 1: Spelling
  • The Writing Framework

Targeted

• Use explicit, structured instruction with modelling, guided practice and opportunities for independent application.
• Incorporate multi-sensory approaches to support memory and engagement where needed.
• Develop foundational phonological skills for learners with gaps, including:
  • Alliteration and rhyme
  • Identifying and isolating phonemes
  • Oral segmenting and blending
  • Manipulating phonemes
• Support phonic knowledge and application, including:
  • Word building
  • Selecting and applying appropriate grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs)
  • Securing common exception words
• Develop morphological and etymological knowledge to support spelling of more complex words, particularly for older learners.
• Teach and scaffold cognitive and metacognitive spelling strategies, such as:
  • Visual strategies (e.g. look-cover-write-check adaptations)
  • Cued spelling approaches
  • Mnemonics, rhymes and memory aids
  • Pronouncing words as they are written ("say it as it sounds")
  • Forward and backward chaining
• Teach skills to fluency through structured, repeated practice.
• Provide opportunities for learners to apply spelling skills in different contexts to support generalisation.
• Ensure targeted learners are supported to connect and apply learning between intervention and the classroom or wider learning contexts.
• Use evidence-informed resources to support targeted intervention, such as:
• Spelling - The School Psychology Service