Literacy Curriculum Page
Any questions? - Speak to Mrs Matthews who is our Literacy Leader
Spelling
At Trimley St Martin Primary we teach every child the importance of good spelling. We want every child to be a good speller and to take a keen interest in the spelling and meaning of words. Being a good speller boosts a child's confidence; relying on spell checkers and other gadgets is no substitute for learning the art of spelling.
For younger children, the teaching of spelling is linked to the teaching of phonics e.g. as they learn to 'sound out' words, for the purpose of reading, they learn to apply the same skills when spelling words. Children will typically begin by learning to spell simple VC (vowel / consonant) words e.g. at / it / in / on. They will then progress to CVC (consonant / vowel / consonant) words e.g. cat / hit / not / sad. As they learn each of the vowel digraphs (where a pair of letters represents one sound e.g. the sound 'a' is represented by 'ai' in 'rain', children will learn to apply these when spelling words e.g. hay / night / out. From here, children will progress to spelling phonetically regular words of more than one syllable.
As children move into Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6), they are taught to spell increasingly complex words; many of which do not conform to regular rules or patterns. The national curriculum sets out the type of words children should typically be able to spell by the end of Year 4 and Year 6. These lists are included alongside other resources below.
Being a good speller requires regular practice and attention to detail. Parents can support the work of the school by practising the spellings your child brings home each week. We have produced a number of resources to support parents and children with spelling - these are available to download below. If you would like any additional information or support, please speak with your child's class teacher or Mrs Matthews (Literacy Lead)
For younger children, the teaching of spelling is linked to the teaching of phonics e.g. as they learn to 'sound out' words, for the purpose of reading, they learn to apply the same skills when spelling words. Children will typically begin by learning to spell simple VC (vowel / consonant) words e.g. at / it / in / on. They will then progress to CVC (consonant / vowel / consonant) words e.g. cat / hit / not / sad. As they learn each of the vowel digraphs (where a pair of letters represents one sound e.g. the sound 'a' is represented by 'ai' in 'rain', children will learn to apply these when spelling words e.g. hay / night / out. From here, children will progress to spelling phonetically regular words of more than one syllable.
As children move into Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6), they are taught to spell increasingly complex words; many of which do not conform to regular rules or patterns. The national curriculum sets out the type of words children should typically be able to spell by the end of Year 4 and Year 6. These lists are included alongside other resources below.
Being a good speller requires regular practice and attention to detail. Parents can support the work of the school by practising the spellings your child brings home each week. We have produced a number of resources to support parents and children with spelling - these are available to download below. If you would like any additional information or support, please speak with your child's class teacher or Mrs Matthews (Literacy Lead)

As a school we have invested in Spelling Shed, where each child's spellings are available on the app so they can practice their weekly spellings and compete against their classmates and as a class compete against the rest of the school, learning while having fun!
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check
Look, say, cover, write, check (LSCWC) is one strategy we use to help children when they are learning to spell new words. The resources below explain the strategy and there is also a blank LSCWC sheet which your child could use to practise their weekly spellings.
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Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check Explanation for Parents | |
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Year 1 and 2 Common Exception Words
The 2014 national curriculum lists the following 'common exception words' for children to learn. It is important that children can read and spell these words with confidence, by the end of the year in which they are being taught.
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Year 3/4 Word List
The 2014 national curriculum provides a list of words which children should be able to spell by the end of Year 4.
Year 5/6 Word List |
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The 2014 national curriculum also provides a list of words which children should be able to spell by the end of Year 6.
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