How not to teach spelling (the 'don'ts'):

Don’t introduce only 1 spelling of a vowel sound – and especially do not encourage children to use this 1 spelling whenever they write that sound. You’ll be reinforcing illogical positioning of alternative spellings (e.g. the ‘ay’ spelling is rarely used before the sound ‘l’…).

Don’t replace phonics with spelling rules at the end of Year 1. Continue to teach spelling and word recognition through phonics. Phonics is reading and spelling; it takes a minimum of 3 years to teach the alternatives of the English alphabet code, and...

...phonics should continue to underpin spelling beyond Key Stage 1 (alongside etymology & morphology). More on this here: https://linguisticphonics.wordpress.com/phonics-from-eyfs-y6/

Don’t teach spelling rules. English spelling does not obey rules. (You’ll probably find yourself spending more time teaching the exceptions.)

Don’t use ‘Look Cover Write Check’ for spelling. This whole word memorisation ignores the fundamental construct of the alphabet and the research into eye movements in the context of how we read. Similarly, don’t encourage children to look at ‘word shapes’ or to ‘look and say’.

Don’t send home lists organised alphabetically, rather than by sound. (The rationale for this has been clear since Dale’s work in the late 1800s.)

Don’t refer to letters as ‘silent’. Listen carefully to the letters on this page… every letter is silent. Letters do not make sounds – we do.

e.g. 'know'
Teach ‘kn’ as a spelling of the sound ‘n’, much like you would teach the alternative spellings in ‘funny’ or ‘gone‘.

If you're interested in the 'do's', you can find the full blog post here: https://linguisticphonics.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/how-not-to-teach-spelling/.