KS1 & KS2 SPaG
Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
(also referred to as ‘GPS’)
An adapted version of the PowerPoint used at the workshops delivered by Miss Ballantine & Miss Evans in October 2015.
Communication aims of this session:
The SPaG requirements under the new 2014
National Curriculum.
How we apply the SPaG requirements in
school.
How to support your child’s SPaG
understanding at home.
The SPaG requirements under the new 2014
National Curriculum
The SPaG requirements are much more comprehensive under the new 2014 National Curriculum. There is a
greater emphasis on knowledge of terminology and some of the terminology has changed; for example
‘connectives’ have largely become ‘conjunctions’. Both end of KS1 (Year 2) and end of KS2 (Year 6) SATs
now include SPaG papers. Objectives are now nationally issued for each year group and each child develops
their abilities within these objectives: first children are ‘beginning’, then they are ‘ developing’, then
‘embedded’. Some children may also reach ‘mastery’ level. The objectives are stuck in the front and back of
each child’s English book.
Here is a list of the nationally expected
terminology by year group, taken from the 2014
National Curriculum. We may mention some of
these terms in year groups further down the
school but each year group focusses explicitly
on their own terminology to ensure all terms are
covered.
How we apply the SPaG requirements in school
We have various resources in use throughout the school. Each class has a terminology Wordle and each
child in KS2 has their own grammar glossary. In KS1 glossary terms are shared and the glossaries are
available as appropriate. SPaG terms and their meanings are also displayed in each class and each child has
personalised targets in the form of target pencils in KS1 and target cards in KS2. Weekly spelling tests take
place in each class to support the required spellings knowledge.
How to support your child’s SPaG understanding
at home
Knowledge of age-appropriate
terminology.
Please ensure that you are comfortable with the terminology
for your child’s year group.
How to support your child’s SPaG understanding
at home
‘Notice’ and discuss terminology while reading.
This could be discussing the use of the adverb ‘Please drive carefully’ in a street sign and which other adverbs
you could substitute, or noticing adjectives such as ‘knobbly knees’ in The Gruffalo and thinking of which other
descriptive adjectives you could use. A child could draw their own monster and think of adjectives to describe it.
This could be applied to descriptions using relative clauses - or any other grammatical terms - further up the
school.
Following suggestions at the workshop, each newsletter will now feature a grammar term and examples.
These terms would be an excellent focus to ‘notice’ when reading with your child.
How to support your child’s SPaG
understanding at home
Weekly spellings
Class grammar focus on the
website
The full English syllabus can
be downloaded at
parents/curriculum/English
Activity. How many different parts of speech can you
name?
Delightful children splash enthusiastically in muddy puddles.
noun
adverb
adjective
noun phrase
suffix
verb
Activity answers
noun phrase
noun phrase
Delightful children splash enthusiastically in muddy puddles.
adjective
suffix
noun
verb
adverb
adjective noun
Review
We teach cumulatively teaching to cover the SPaG requirements in each year
group.
As a school we have invested in and created numerous resources to ensure we
are meeting the new standards and giving our children the best possible learning
opportunities.
If you would like further information about the English curriculum in your child’s
class, please speak to your child’s class teacher. If you would like information
about whole school provision, please speak to Miss Ballantine or Miss Evans,
the English co-ordinators.