Bidirectional Word Mapping Training for Reception, KS1 and KS2 teachers in England.  

The DfE expects word mapping to be the strategy used to help children decode and spell (encode) all words throughout the day, across all year groups, that is, applying phonics knowledge. All primary teachers are therefore expected to be able to identify which letters form graphemes and their corresponding sound (phoneme) value in all words.
 

National guidance defines early word reading and spelling in terms of the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters. This framing applies to all words, including those often described in classroom practice as ‘tricky’ or irregular, where correspondences may be less transparent but still require coordination between phonemes and graphemes.

The Reading Framework states: “Understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words underpins successful word reading. Pupils’ knowledge of the English alphabetic code, how letters or groups of letters represent the sounds of the language, supports their reading and spelling.” (Department for Education, 2023)
 

The same document further states: “This guidance explains why teachers themselves also need to understand the alphabetic code: evidence supports the key role of phonic knowledge and skills in early reading and spelling.” (Department for Education, 2023) 

In reading, pupils are taught to decode by identifying graphemes in written words from left to right, saying the corresponding phonemes, and blending those phonemes to say the whole word (Department for Education, 2023, p. 47).

In spelling, pupils are taught to say a word clearly, segment it into phonemes, and select graphemes to represent each phoneme in writing (Department for Education, Writing Framework, 2025, p. 41). Statutory spelling guidance further states that teachers should draw pupils’ attention to grapheme–phoneme correspondences that both do and do not fit with what has been taught so far (Department for Education, Spelling Framework, p. 75).

The DfE expects teachers to extend programmes and apply phonics to all words, in all year groups, so that children continue to learn correspondences that have not yet been taught.

Emma Hartnell-Baker delivers in-service training to schools and online training for those who want to check their understanding of the Word Mapping Formula, used across all year levels when supporting bidirectional word mapping: how to spell a word and how to read a word. This means understanding which letters are the graphemes and their sound values. Email Miss Emma to book training: Support@WordMappingMastery.com