Why do you teach suffixes to children before Phase 6?

We have integrated Phase 6 throughout much of the programme. Children need to be able to read words in the past and progressive tenses and with the suffixes in Phase 6 so that they can read fully decodable books that have a normal syntax and are not constrained by a restriction on verb tenses. For this reason we have included many suffixes in Phase 6 in the programme so children have been taught to read the words before they meet them in the books.

As reading and spelling are reversible processes, and because we teach spelling alongside reading, children will learn to spell words with these suffixes too. However, we know that spelling is harder than reading and so we would expect schools to continue teaching spelling by applying the alphabetic code and rules about suffixes in Year 2, as detailed in the National Curriculum.