At Bitterne CE Primary School, our aim is that children develop not only as creative, enthusiastic writers, but also as great technical writers. The grammar of our English is learnt naturally and implicitly through interactions with other speakers and from reading. However, our explicit knowledge of grammar is very important as it gives us more conscious control and choice in our language.

Building this knowledge is best achieved through a focus on grammar within the teaching of reading, writing and speaking. Once our pupils are familiar with a grammatical concept (for example ‘modal verb’), our aim is to encourage the children and give them the confidence to apply and explore this concept in the grammar of their own speech and writing and to note where it is used by others. 

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught in a variety of different ways, with careful consideration given to how the children will best gain a secure understanding for which they can apply in their work. Although the skills may be taught discretely, it is essential that the children apply the skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling in their own writing. The skills taught are informed by the National Curriculum, which sets out which skills should be learnt by the children in each school year.

Spellings 
As part of the National Curriculum, each year group have statutory spelling lists and spelling rules to learn. The children will be taught the rules explicitly and then apply these in their writing across the curriculum. Each week, children will be set a list of words to practise at home which include the spelling rules taught and words from them statutory spelling lists. They will then be tested on these spellings before moving onto another list. 

Statutory spelling lists:
• Year R – Rockets; 
• Year 1 – Solar System; 
• Year 2 – Space Shuttles;
• Year 3 and 4 – Solar Missions; 
• Year 5 and 6 – Star Constellations.  

Tips for learning spellings at home: 

• Discuss the spelling rule and ensure that your child can read the word before attempting to spell it;
• Use the Look, say, cover, write, check method;
• Talk through the meaning of the word and try putting a few of the words into sentences;
• Short bursts of daily practice are better than one long session;
• Make spelling fun. Use as many different spelling strategies as possible – use the spelling scheme booklets at the bottom of this page for interactive ideas;
• Always practise spellings using the correct letter formation (handwriting is important).