Ages 5-7 (KS1)

SPAG

(Spelling, punctuation and Grammar)

We teach the following to support SPAG learning in KS1.

1. Spelling: Moving from Phonics to Rules

Spelling in KS1 bridges the gap between how words sound and how they are visually spelled.

• Phonetic Spelling: In Year 1, children rely heavily on their systemic synthetic phonics to segment and spell words phonetically.
• Common Exception Words: Children are explicitly taught “tricky words” (e.g., said, the, where) that do not follow standard phonic rules.
• Spelling Rules and Suffixes: In Year 2, the focus shifts toward spelling rules, including adding suffixes (e.g., -ing, -ed, -er, -est, -ful) and spelling homophones (e.g., there, their, they’re).

2. Punctuation: The “Non-Negotiables”

Punctuation teaching focuses on establishing the core boundaries of a sentence.

• The Basics: The absolute priority in KS1 is ensuring children consistently use capital letters, finger spaces, and full stops.
• Expanding Punctuation: As children progress through Year 2, they are introduced to question marks (?) and exclamation marks (!).
• Apostrophes: Year 2 children learn to use apostrophes for simple omission/contraction (e.g., can’t, it’s) and singular possession (e.g., the girl’s book).

3. Grammar: Sentence Structure and Word Classes

Grammar in Years 1 and 2 focuses on how sentences are built and how words function.

Year Group       Key Grammar Concepts Taught

Year 1  Introduction to nouns, verbs, and adjectives; using the conjunction and to join clauses; leaving spaces between words.

Year 2  Identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs; using coordination (or, and, but) and subordination (when, if, that, because); understanding different sentence types (statements, questions, exclamations, and commands).