Handwriting

At Potley Hill, we aim for children to write in a fluent, joined style which is neat and attractive, allowing them to communicate meaning through writing quickly and effectively. We teach a cursive script starting in Reception, where children learn pre-cursive letters and correct letter formation, eventually leading to joined, fluent cursive handwriting. 

We follow the LetterJoin scheme for handwriting which progressively builds up children's skills in handwriting, whilst supporting the development of their fine and gross motor skills. Each child has access to the scheme at home, so that they can continue to practise at home. 

Spelling

At Potley Hill, we feel strongly about supporting children to be brave spellers. We understand the importance of children learning to spell correctly, but we also want to engage and inspire children with a love of words. This is why we have implemented the Jane Considine approach to spelling which puts the children's love of words at the heart of learning to spell. 

Lessons encourage children to look deeply at words, draw and build upon their knowledge of phonics from KS1 and make connections with spellings or letter patterns that they may already know.

Starting in Year 2 and into all our Key Stage 2 classes, the children will complete spellings on a two-week timetable. 

During Week 1 the children will have a spelling investigation to complete and will practice the spellings of 6 focus words. The investigation is where the children explore proving or disproving a spelling hypothesis.

During Week 2, the children will have five 10-minute sessions that will work on children practising and applying spellings under time pressure to support their ability to spell more accurately in lessons and other real-life writing scenarios. 

This approach is about helping children make plausible spelling choices in their writing that make sense and, even if not correct, have phonetical reasoning at the heart of the letter choices being made.