Spelling
At St James Primary School, we are committed to helping children become confident and accurate spellers. To support this journey, we use Spelling Shed, a highly engaging and interactive online platform that complements our teaching and allows pupils to practise their spelling skills in a fun and effective way.
What Is Spelling Shed?
Spelling Shed is a web-based programme designed to make learning spellings exciting and accessible. It provides tailored spelling lists, interactive games and challenges that reinforce spelling patterns, high-frequency words and statutory words from the National Curriculum.
The platform is suitable for all year groups and helps children develop their spelling accuracy while boosting their confidence. It also encourages independent practice, making it an invaluable tool for home and school use.
How Spelling Shed Works at Our School?
- Weekly Spelling Lists: Teachers set weekly spelling lists on Spelling Shed, linked to the curriculum and tailored to each year group’s learning objectives.
- In-Class Activities: Pupils practise spellings through engaging activities during lessons, including dictation, games and discussions about spelling patterns and rules.
- Regular Assessment: Teachers monitor children’s progress using insights to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
The No Nonsense Spelling Programme offers a comprehensive yet accessible progression in the teaching of spelling.
The focus of the programme is on the teaching of spelling, which embraces knowledge of spelling conventions – patterns and rules; but integral to the teaching is the opportunity to promote the learning of spellings, including statutory words, common exceptions and personal spellings. The programme has clear progression through blocks of teaching units across the year.
Each new concept is taught, practised and then applied and assessed. Frequently there is also a ‘Revise’ session before the teaching session. A typical teaching sequence is as follows:
Revise
Activate prior knowledge
Revisit previous linked learning
Teach
Introduce the new concept
Explain
Investigate
Model
Practise Individual/group work
Extend/explore the concept independently
Investigate
Generalise
Apply/Assess
Assess through independent application
Explain and demonstrate understanding
