Phonics/Spelling in the Early Years and KS1

Children in Early Years and KS1 are taught phonics and spelling skills through the Rocket Phonics programme. Through structured daily sessions, children are introduced to new sounds which they then use in reading and writing.

Every daily phonics session includes modelled and independent writing with a focus on correct spelling from the very beginning. 

Children graduate from the phonics programme to our spelling scheme, No Nonsense Spelling.

No Nonsense Spelling

The No Nonsense Spelling Programme was devised to offer a comprehensive yet accessible progression in the teaching of spelling. Guidance is provided on how to teach the strategies, knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. By integrating activities for handwriting, the benefit of making a spelling activity kinaesthetic is secured. Children acquire the physical memory of the spelling pattern as well as the visual. Integral to the process is the scope to encourage pupils to learn spellings.

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 consists of the following elements:

• The requirements of the National Curriculum, which have been organised into strands and then broken down into termly overviews.
• Termly overviews that have been mapped across weeks as half termly plans. These follow a model of five spelling sessions across two weeks, except in Year 2 where sessions are daily.

Pupils’ learning is assessed throughout the programme. The ‘Apply’ part of the sequence regularly includes assessment activities to identify if pupils have learnt the key concept taught. These activities include:

• Testing – by teacher and peers
• Dictation
• Explaining
• Independent application in writing
• Frequent learning and testing of statutory and personal words.