We want the children to think and write creatively, be adventurous with their use of language and to write with clear purpose and for pleasure. In order for these aims to be realised, it is crucial that they learn the knowledge and skills to spell accurately.

Children who can spell feel confident and are able to write with enjoyment. We want our pupils to be equipped with a body of knowledge and a range of strategies for learning how to spell, and to be able to apply these strategies when spelling words in their independent writing.  We enjoy exploring and investigating the patterns and contradictions of the English language with the children.

When the children are writing, we encourage them to underline words if they feel that they may have spelt them incorrectly and then carry on with their writing.  This means that the flow of their writing is not interrupted.  Once they have completed their writing, they spend time editing their work.  We ask them to: 'have a go' at spelling the word in a different ways to see if it looks right, use the word-sound correspondence mats and dictionaries, or ask a friend or adult for support.  

Spelling in school

In addition to the spelling work encountered during the course of English lessons and other areas of the curriculum, the children in Years 3 and 4 are taught spellings weekly in their year groups.  We currently follow a scheme of work called Spelling Shed.  

More information about your child's spellings can be found in their Spelling folder in the Teams Class Notebook.  

Spelling at home 

At the beginning of each term, your child will bring home a set of spelling homework sheets.  These are to support your child to learn their weekly spellings.  We do not ask the children to bring their homework into school each week but we would be grateful if you could ensure your child completes the sheets  and then uses them to remind them of the spellings they need to learn.  

In addition to the homework sheets, the children can practise their spellings on the Spelling Shed website. The children have a Spelling Shed/Phonics Shed login stuck into the front of their Reading Record books.  Each week, they are set three games to help them practise their 10 weekly spellings.  After they have completed the three games, they may practise other spellings in the Years 3 and 4 word bank.