September planning for primary teachers
Primary spelling assessment: a practical September check
In short: A useful spelling check changes what you teach next. It combines a brief independent word check, a closer look at the errors and evidence from ordinary writing. A total score on its own cannot tell you which knowledge is insecure or whether it transfers.
Free teacher guide. Last reviewed 25 August 2026.
More than a score
The three-lens spelling check
Each lens answers a different question. Use them together before changing whole-class teaching or selecting additional support.
Independent word recall
What can the pupil spell when the answer is not visible?
Say each target word, use it in a short sentence, repeat the word and let the pupil write it independently. Keep the delivery consistent across the class.
Boundary: This can reveal insecure recall, but not whether the spelling transfers into the pupil's own writing.
The useful error
Which part of the spelling knowledge is insecure?
Look at the attempt, not just the mark. Note whether the error concerns a sound-letter choice, a written pattern, a root or affix, or a whole word needing secure recall.
Boundary: Do not infer a diagnosis from one spelling. A plausible attempt is useful teaching information, even when it is still an error.
Transfer into writing
Does the knowledge appear during meaningful writing?
Check a recent independent writing sample for the same spelling knowledge. Revisit it after teaching so the comparison is across contexts and over time.
Boundary: A pupil may spell a rehearsed list correctly and still lose it while managing ideas, sentences and handwriting together.
A small planning tool
A 12-word planning grid
Twelve is a practical sample, not a national rule. Write your own words in the slots using the school’s taught curriculum and previous assessment. Do not download a random year-group list and assume every item has already been taught.
| Slots | Purpose | What to choose | What it may tell you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Recently taught knowledge | Four words representing patterns, conventions or word parts the class has actually been taught. | Whether the recent sequence is secure enough to build on, or needs a short revisit. |
| 5 to 7 | Earlier prerequisite knowledge | Three words from the previous term or year that underpin the next planned teaching. Keep phonics language aligned with the school's programme. | Whether the next sequence can begin as planned, without testing untaught current-year content. |
| 8 to 10 | Careful transfer examples | Three unfamiliar words that use already-taught knowledge. They should test application, not introduce a hidden new rule. | Whether pupils can apply what they know beyond the exact words they previously rehearsed. |
| 11 and 12 | Words that matter in this class | Two recurring words selected from prior writing or the class curriculum, without naming or exposing an individual pupil. | Whether a small, high-value class need deserves explicit teaching or supported reference during writing. |
Before using the grid
Check the school’s phonics and spelling progression, the previous teacher’s handover and a recent writing sample.
After choosing the words
Write one short contextual sentence for each target. Read the word, sentence and word again without teaching during the check.
From evidence to action
Sort the need before choosing the response
These groups are prompts for professional enquiry, not labels for children. More than one explanation may fit, so compare the check with what the pupil says, reads and writes elsewhere.
Signal 1
The sounds are not represented clearly
Check before deciding
Can the pupil segment the word and connect each sound with a plausible grapheme? Is the word within taught phonics knowledge?
Possible teaching response
Revisit the relevant phoneme-grapheme correspondence using the school's phonics routines, with fewer words and immediate guided practice.
Review for impact
Use one taught word and one carefully matched transfer word in the next short check.
Signal 2
A written pattern is confused
Check before deciding
Do several attempts show the same choice problem, such as competing spellings for a sound or an insecure ending?
Possible teaching response
Compare a small set of examples, make the useful pattern visible, then move from supported sorting to spelling with models hidden.
Review for impact
Check recall after a delay and look for the same pattern in ordinary writing.
Signal 3
A root, prefix or suffix is unstable
Check before deciding
Does the pupil preserve the meaningful word part and apply the relevant convention when another part is added?
Possible teaching response
Build a small word family and discuss meaning as well as spelling. Teach the specific change rather than asking for the whole list again.
Review for impact
Ask for one familiar family member and one new combination using the same knowledge.
Signal 4
The word is correct in a test but not in writing
Check before deciding
Is recall secure only in the practised order or when the task gives an obvious spelling cue?
Possible teaching response
Add short dictation and sentence application, then prompt proofreading for the target knowledge rather than every possible error.
Review for impact
Look for independent use in a later piece, not only another identical list test.
Signal 5
The pattern is broad, persistent or hard to explain
Check before deciding
Does the concern remain across repeated teaching, different tasks and time? Are reading, language, attention, motor or access factors relevant?
Possible teaching response
Discuss the evidence with the class teacher, literacy lead and SENCO as appropriate. Adjust teaching and access before assuming a label.
Review for impact
Agree a specific outcome and review date. A homemade spelling check is not a diagnostic assessment.
Keep the workload useful
A first-fortnight sequence
- 1 of 4
Before the check
Read the previous teacher's handover and sample recent writing. Choose only knowledge pupils have had a fair opportunity to learn.
- 2 of 4
During the check
Keep it calm, brief and consistent. Record access adjustments and avoid giving a cue to one group that changes the spelling assessed.
- 3 of 4
After the check
Group errors by likely teaching need, compare them with independent writing and change the next sequence where the evidence warrants it.
- 4 of 4
After teaching
Recheck a small sample after a delay. Keep an intervention only if pupils are learning more securely, not because it is already on the timetable.
Source boundary
What the official guidance supports
England’s English programmes of study and English Appendix 1 set out the statutory spelling content. The appendix says phonic knowledge should continue to underpin spelling after Key Stage 1.
The DfE’s writing framework is non-statutory guidance. It supports systematic spelling teaching, application and early help for pupils who need more support. Our separate framework briefing distinguishes the DfE wording from our interpretation.
The Key stage 2 teacher assessment guidance 2026 distinguishes formative, in-school summative and statutory assessment. It says teacher assessment draws on broad evidence and warns against recording evidence solely to prove framework statements.
The optional Key Stage 1 spelling test framework provides a useful administration example: a target word is read in a contextual sentence. Its test has its own purpose; it does not justify inventing a national score from this check.
Questions from teachers
Primary spelling assessment FAQs
Is a September spelling baseline statutory in primary school?
No general September spelling baseline is mandated for every primary year group in England. The statutory Reception Baseline Assessment is separate and should not be confused with a teacher's short spelling check. Schools choose proportionate assessment that helps teaching and follows their policy.
How many words should a primary spelling assessment use?
There is no universal number for an informal classroom check. This guide uses 12 words because it samples four useful purposes without taking over a lesson. A standardised assessment must instead be administered exactly according to its manual.
Should pupils be tested on their new year group's list in September?
Not as though untaught content were already secure. Start with taught knowledge and prerequisites for the coming sequence. Transfer words are useful only when they apply knowledge pupils have already met.
Can a spelling test identify dyslexia?
No. One classroom spelling check cannot diagnose dyslexia or another special educational need. It may contribute a small piece of evidence. Persistent concerns should be considered across tasks and over time through the school's SEND process.
Does a correct weekly score prove secure spelling?
Not by itself. The pupil may have remembered a fixed list or order. Check delayed recall, a matched transfer word and application in independent writing before deciding the underlying knowledge is secure.
When should a school use a standardised spelling assessment?
Use one when a nationally referenced score or the specific information in that published assessment is genuinely needed. Follow its administration and access guidance exactly. A teacher-made check is for immediate curriculum planning and is not a standardised attainment score.
See the pupil handover before choosing a licence: how a checked word set becomes practice.
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