At Kensworth CE Academy we follow The Spelling Book approach from Jane Considine.  It is a fast paced and effective way to implement a spelling curriculum that focuses on the teaching of spelling, ensuring a drive on the ‘Big Mission’ for all pupils. That ‘Big Mission’ is what Jane Considine describes as spelling ’stickability’, automation and application into the pupils’ independent writing. An essential trait of literate people is being able to spell effectively and spelling is valued in society above all other writing conventions (Turnbill, 2000).

It is a fully comprehensive approach that targets reading patterns of spelling, the pressures of spelling and the remembering of spellings. It is a system that is based strongly on previous phonics teaching with a focus on teaching pupils the connections between words, their sound associations, etymology and patterns.

Teachers are support the pupils by guiding them through the rationale and approaches to ensure that they have a deep understanding of the processes they can follow to become more effective and efficient at spelling. Pupils will continue to extend their knowledge of phonics throughout their time in primary school and beyond. They will improve their outcomes as they develop a culture of becoming ‘pattern finders’ and ‘spelling detectives’ instead of being demotivated by the repetitive failure of the weekly ’spelling test’ and they will acquire a range of strategies to apply during real-life composition of writing. This will be implemented by a mixture of spelling investigations allowing the children to become ‘detectives’ and take ownership of their learning.

It is a way of teaching spelling that relies on teachers to bring the ‘wonder of words’ to life. The Spelling Books provide structure and support to teachers whilst allowing enough room for creativity, ensuring that all National Curriculum fundamentals are covered. 

Our spelling sessions are taught daily as discrete spelling sessions, using ‘The Spelling Book’ approach. The spellings will be reviewed and taught over a continuous two-week cycle. During week one of the cycle, children will take part in lessons of ‘investigation’ session where they explore a hypothesis and a ‘Go Grapheme Grafters’ session where they explore patterns within words. This builds on, and continues to embed, phonic strategies taught in KS1.

Following this, the children will move in to week two of the cycle where they will take part in five 10–15-minute sessions – Daily Fast Tasks. These sessions are to improve pace and take a much quicker look at spellings. They involve analysing common errors, exploring why these errors occur and what to do to ensure that the correct spellings are embedded into our long-term memory.

Children will be provided with a print out of their spelling lists every two weeks for them to review and practice. 

This is important for their development and will help improve fluency within both their reading and writing.