⭐ Speedie Spelling is designed for dyslexic students in KS2 (upper primary), where learners need to store words more efficiently in the orthographic lexicon by bonding speech sounds, spelling, and meaning. The focus is on closing the gap as quickly as possible.​

Speedie Spelling
 

Ten Minutes a Day to Secure Word Mapping in KS2. 
Speedie Spelling is a ten-minute, 1:1 intervention designed for dyslexic learners in KS2, including those awaiting assessment. It supports pupils at a point where curriculum demands increase rapidly and where efficient word mapping is essential for reading comprehension, written accuracy, and confidence across subjects.

By KS2, pupils must be able to store words efficiently in the orthographic lexicon by bonding speech sounds, spelling, and meaning. When this process is slow or insecure, reading becomes effortful, spelling remains inaccurate, and cognitive resources are diverted away from comprehension and composition.

How the ten-minute sessions work

Speedie Spelling is delivered by a teaching assistant using a consistent Speedie Word Mapping routine. Sessions are short, focused, and practical, making them realistic to deliver within the school day.

During sessions, pupils:

• map words by identifying the phonemes and the graphemes that represent them

• learn to see which letters are functioning as graphemes, rather than treating words as visual wholes

• practise mapping words accurately for spelling, not memorisation

The aim is not repeated practice of the same words, but developing the skill of word mapping so pupils can apply it independently.

Using MyWordz® technology beyond the session

A core part of Speedie Spelling is teaching pupils how to use MyWordz® Word Mapping technology independently, outside the ten-minute sessions.

Pupils learn to use MyWordz®:

• when they encounter unfamiliar words during reading

• when they need to check or construct spellings during writing

• to see how sounds and spellings map in any word, not just words previously taught

Crucially, pupils are not just shown letters. They are supported to understand the mapping between speech sounds and graphemes, which is a stated expectation of the Department for Education.

Alignment with the DfE Reading and Spelling Frameworks

The Reading Framework makes explicit that reading and spelling rely on understanding grapheme–phoneme correspondences:

“A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that usually represents a single phoneme.
The number of graphemes in a word usually corresponds to the number of phonemes – hence the term ‘grapheme–phoneme correspondence’ (GPC).

1. One grapheme usually represents a single phoneme.

2. Different graphemes can be used to represent the same phoneme.

3. A grapheme can represent different phonemes in different words.”
   (DfE Reading Framework, 2023, p. 34)

When we talk about word mapping, we mean exactly this process: connecting the phonemes and graphemes in a word to show how sounds and spellings correspond.

The Spelling Framework reinforces that this responsibility does not end in KS1:

“Phonics continues to play an important role in spelling, even after key stage 1, because teachers should still draw pupils’ attention to GPCs that do and do not fit in with what has been taught so far.”
(DfE Spelling Framework, 2013, referenced in Reading Framework, 2023, p. 47)

Speedie Spelling operationalises this expectation in a practical, time-efficient way.
 

Why this support is needed in KS2

In practice, many pupils do not receive sufficient support to develop word mapping mastery in KS2. Teachers report that:

• time is limited

• explicit mapping of unexplored correspondences is not prioritised

• pupils do not always ask for help, particularly if they have developed coping strategies
   

This pattern is particularly common for pupils with dyslexia, where difficulties with fluent word mapping persist even when phonics teaching has been in place. As a result, gaps widen quietly. Pupils appear to be coping, but reading remains effortful and spelling inaccurate, affecting written outcomes, engagement, and confidence.

Speedie Spelling addresses this by:

• providing explicit, structured mapping support

• building independence rather than reliance on adult correction
  ensuring pupils leave KS2 able to map words fluently as curriculum demands increase
   

The outcome
 

With consistent ten-minute sessions and supported independent use of MyWordz®, pupils develop:

• faster, more accurate word mapping

• improved spelling confidence

• reduced cognitive load during reading and writing

• better access to the KS3 curriculum
   

Speedie Spelling is not about catching pupils up on lists of words. It is about equipping them with the skill of word mapping, so they can read and spell with increasing independence.