Year 1 Phonics Screening

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a statutory (compulsory) assessment for all pupils in Year 1 (typically aged 5-6) in England. It usually takes place during June.

Purpose of the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check:

  • Assess Phonic Decoding: The primary purpose is to confirm whether children have learned the essential phonic decoding skills to an age-appropriate standard. This involves assessing their ability to blend sounds to read words.

  • Identify Support Needs: It helps teachers identify pupils who may need additional support in phonics to ensure they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.

  • Inform Teaching: The results provide valuable information to teachers about the effectiveness of their phonics teaching program and allow them to tailor further support for individual pupils.

What is Covered:

The check consists of 40 words that children are asked to read aloud. These 40 words are divided into two sections:

  • Real Words (approximately 20): These are common words that children should be able to decode using their phonics knowledge (e.g., 'shop', 'light', 'dream').

  • Pseudo-words (approximately 20, often called 'alien words'): These are made-up, non-sense words that are phonically decodable but have no meaning (e.g., 'splog', 'thray', 'froad'). They are included to ensure children are using their phonic decoding skills, rather than relying on memorised words. Alien words are typically presented alongside a picture of an imaginary creature to indicate they are not real words.

The words test a range of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), from simple single letter sounds to more complex digraphs and trigraphs.

Format and Administration:

  • Informal Setting: The check is designed to be low-stress for the child. It is administered individually, usually by the child's own teacher, in a familiar and quiet classroom environment.

  • No Time Limit: There is no strict time limit, allowing children to take as long as they need. It typically takes around 5-10 minutes to complete.

  • One-to-One: The teacher sits one-on-one with the child, presenting the words in a booklet.

  • No Prompting: The teacher marks each word as correct or incorrect. They are not allowed to prompt the child or give clues.

  • No Passing/Failing in the traditional sense: It's a screening check, not a pass/fail test. However, there is a 'pass mark' or 'threshold score' which determines if a child has met the expected standard. In recent years, this has consistently been 32 out of 40. The exact threshold is only confirmed by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) after all checks have been completed nationally, but schools are usually informed of the previous year's threshold.

  • Reporting to Parents: Schools will inform parents whether their child has met the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check, usually as part of the end-of-year school report. Individual scores are typically provided.

What Happens if a Child Doesn't Meet the Standard:

  • Additional Support: Children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 will receive additional phonics support tailored to their needs in Year 2.

  • Re-take in Year 2: These children will then retake the Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 2.

The Phonics Screening Check is an important tool to ensure that children are developing strong foundational decoding skills, which are crucial for becoming fluent and confident readers.