Free curriculum-planning guide for UK primary teachers
A practical primary spelling long-term plan
In short: A primary spelling long-term plan should sequence the statutory content, stay aligned with the school’s phonics programme and build in revisiting, dictation and transfer into writing. There is no universal weekly order imposed by the DfE, so the framework below is a starting point to adapt—not a statutory scheme.
Free guide. Last reviewed 27 August 2026.
Reception to Year 6 at a glance
An adaptable term-by-term planning framework
Use the table to begin a staff conversation, then replace its broad priorities with the exact progression, terminology and review dates your school uses. It deliberately avoids invented week numbers because starting points and SSP sequences differ.
| Phase | Autumn priority | Spring priority | Summer priority | Term or phase review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reception | Follow the school’s validated systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme. Build oral blending and segmenting, letter formation and spelling with the sound-letter correspondences already taught. | Continue the programme’s sequence. Use short dictated words, phrases or sentences only when the required code and exception words have been taught. | Strengthen recall and application without jumping ahead of the programme. Record the exact code, handwriting or language gaps that need a careful handover to Year 1. | Check fidelity to the SSP programme, accurate segmenting and whether pupils can write using taught knowledge—not a detached weekly-list score. |
| Year 1 | Continue the school’s SSP progression and assess starting points. Introduce Year 1 Appendix 1 content when it fits the taught phonic code. | Teach and revisit the statutory patterns, prefixes, suffixes and common exception words through reading, spelling and short sentence application. | Secure weaker correspondences and transfer into independent writing. The phonics screening check is not the end of phonics teaching. | Use cumulative checks and ordinary writing to decide what needs reteaching, extra practice or a Year 2 handover. |
| Year 2 | Re-establish the phonic code and common exception words pupils actually retain. Sequence the Year 2 statutory content from that starting point. | Develop alternative spellings, suffixes, contractions, possessive apostrophes and homophones, with regular comparison and explanation. | Increase delayed recall and application in dictated and independent sentences. Keep targeted phonics support for pupils who still need it. | Separate a knowledge gap from a recall or handwriting problem before choosing the next teaching response. |
| Years 3 and 4 | Audit transition points, then group Appendix 1 content into teachable families: prefixes, suffixes, word endings, homophones and possessive apostrophes. | Use roots and meaningful word parts where they make spelling more predictable. Revisit taught knowledge through dictation and curriculum writing. | Consolidate weaker patterns, dictionary use and the Years 3 and 4 statutory word list in context rather than as 100 isolated items. | Compare recent independent attempts with previous terms. Plan the few patterns and words that still need explicit attention. |
| Years 5 and 6 | Use a short baseline to select from the phase content: complex suffixes and endings, homophones, morphology, etymology and dictionary skills. | Build cumulative practice and independent application. Include the Years 5 and 6 statutory words as examples of patterns and exceptions, not the whole curriculum. | In Year 6, use released spelling-paper vocabulary to familiarise pupils with the assessment format without reducing teaching to SATs rehearsal. | Look for secure spelling in fresh sentences and normal writing. Hand over precise remaining needs instead of a single percentage. |
On a small screen, swipe the table horizontally to compare terms.
Six planning decisions
Build a plan teachers can actually use
A useful plan reduces repeated decisions without pretending every class starts in the same place. Keep it concise enough to revisit during the year and precise enough to guide the next unit.
- 1
Start with the statutory content and the school’s SSP programme
Use English Appendix 1 as the statutory reference for Years 1 to 6. In Reception and early Key Stage 1, keep the sequence and language faithful to the school’s systematic synthetic phonics programme.
- 2
Group the knowledge into teachable term priorities
Cluster related sound-letter correspondences, written patterns, prefixes, suffixes, roots and exceptions. Do not turn every curriculum bullet or statutory example word into a separate week.
- 3
Check the pupils’ real starting points
Use a short independent recall check, error analysis and ordinary writing. A previous year-group label does not prove that every pupil retained the same knowledge.
- 4
Plan revisiting, dictation and independent application
Return to important knowledge after a delay and ask pupils to apply it in sentences and normal writing. Copying an unchanged list can support attention, but it is not evidence of independent recall.
- 5
Plan proportionate support for gaps
Identify whether the barrier is phonics, a written pattern, word structure, language, handwriting or recall. Then add the smallest useful teaching step instead of assigning the same catch-up list to everyone.
- 6
Review the sequence at least termly
Keep what is working, move content when evidence justifies it and record a clear handover. A long-term plan should be stable enough to guide teaching and flexible enough to respond to pupils.
Keep claims proportionate
What this long-term plan is not
Clear boundaries make the plan more useful. They stop a free template, a practice tool or a weekly score being mistaken for the full work of curriculum design and teaching.
- A DfE-prescribed week-by-week order. There is no universal weekly order that every primary school must follow.
- A replacement for a validated phonics programme. Spellito is not a full SSP programme and should not be presented as one.
- A promise that one list or test proves mastery. Use more than one independent attempt and look for transfer into writing.
- A complete commercial spelling scheme. Teachers still select, explain, model, adapt and review the content their pupils need.
Turn the annual map into the next teaching decision
Plan, check, teach, revisit
Check starting points
Use three quick checks without creating a marking mountain.
Open the guidePlan explicit teaching
Build a short lesson around the spelling knowledge pupils need.
Open the guideReview DfE messages
Separate useful framework guidance from invented requirements.
Open the guideTry weekly distribution
Select fictional pupils and approve a reusable practice list.
Open the guideCheck the original publications
The DfE sources behind this framework
The planning table is Spellito’s practical interpretation of the source material, not additional government guidance. Read the official documents when setting policy, choosing a programme or making curriculum decisions.
Primary spelling planning questions
Long-term plan FAQ
Is a primary spelling long-term plan statutory?
Schools must teach the statutory English curriculum, including the spelling content in Appendix 1 for Years 1 to 6. The Department for Education does not supply one compulsory weekly sequence, so schools can organise that content coherently around their phonics programme, curriculum and pupils’ starting points.
How many spellings should a primary class learn each week?
There is no single statutory number. The useful amount depends on the knowledge being taught, pupil age, word complexity and time available for explanation, practice, revisiting and application. Ten words can be a manageable practice set, but ten is not a national requirement.
Should Reception and Year 1 use a separate spelling scheme?
Early spelling should remain faithful to the school’s validated systematic synthetic phonics programme. Adding an unrelated sequence can introduce correspondences or terminology pupils have not yet been taught and make the programme less coherent.
How should the 100 statutory words be distributed?
The Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 lists each contain 100 statutory entries for the two-year phase. Use them across the phase as examples, exceptions and application opportunities alongside the wider spelling content; do not treat them as 100 disconnected weekly lessons.
Are weekly spelling tests part of the plan?
They can provide low-stakes retrieval evidence, but one score should not be the only measure. Add delayed checks and inspect independent writing to see whether pupils can recall and apply the spelling knowledge in a new context.
Can Spellito replace a spelling scheme or phonics programme?
No. Spellito provides free child practice plus optional teacher tools for distributing checked lists and viewing private progress. The teacher or school remains responsible for choosing the curriculum sequence, teaching it explicitly and approving the words pupils receive.
Comparing a full scheme with a practice platform? Use the 12-question buying checklist or inspect Spellito’s fictional teacher dashboard.
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