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Grammar and Punctuation

At Lunsford Primary School, we teach Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) through a rich, contextual approach that’s fully embedded within our Literacy Tree curriculum. Rather than teaching SPaG in isolation, we weave it into the high-quality texts and writing opportunities that form the backbone of our English lessons.

Using the Literacy Tree approach, children encounter grammar and punctuation concepts as they read and write. This means they learn how language works by seeing it in action—within stories, poems, and non-fiction texts that are modern, diverse, and thematically relevant. From sentence structure and verb tenses to punctuation and stylistic choices, SPaG is taught with purpose and meaning.

Our approach helps children:

  • Understand grammar rules through real examples in literature
  • Apply punctuation accurately to enhance their writing
  • Explore ambitious vocabulary and sentence construction
  • Develop confidence in editing and improving their work

By embedding SPaG into engaging texts and writing tasks, we ensure that children not only learn the rules of language but also understand how to use them creatively and effectively

Here’s how SPaG develops across the school:

Year 1

  • Introduce capital letters, full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks
  • Learn about simple sentence structure and joining words like "and"
  • Begin exploring plurals and basic suffixes (e.g., -ing, -ed, -s)
  • Understand the use of personal pronouns and basic adjectives

Year 2

  • Use expanded noun phrases for description
  • Learn about different sentence types: statements, questions, commands
  • Introduce commas in lists and apostrophes for possession and contraction
  • Begin exploring verb tenses and consistent use of past/present

Year 3

  • Develop understanding of complex sentences using conjunctions (e.g., although, because)
  • Use inverted commas for direct speech
  • Explore prefixes and suffixes to build vocabulary and spelling
  • Begin identifying word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs

Year 4

  • Use fronted adverbials and commas to clarify meaning
  • Explore possessive apostrophes with plural nouns
  • Deepen understanding of sentence structure and paragraphing
  • Introduce determiners and prepositions

Year 5

  • Use relative clauses and modal verbs to add precision
  • Explore cohesion across paragraphs using adverbials and repetition
  • Develop punctuation for parenthesis: brackets, dashes, commas
  • Understand formal and informal language choices

Year 6

  • Master active and passive voice
  • Use subjunctive mood in formal writing
  • Apply advanced punctuation: colons, semi-colons, hyphens
  • Refine grammar for clarity, style, and effect in extended writing

Throughout all year groups, children are encouraged to explore new vocabulary in context, understand its meaning, and apply it confidently in their writing. This approach stretches their language skills and helps them become thoughtful, expressive communicators.

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