Year 1 Phonics Screening Test

What is Phonics? Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly. Reception- Children are taught how to recognise the phonetic sound that each individual letter makes. Reception/ Year 1- Children learn to identify the sounds that different contributions of letters make such as ‘ar’ and ‘ee’. They are taught how to blend these sounds together to read the whole word e.g.: star and green.

Wimborne First School… Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way, starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to more complex sounds, it is the most effective way of teaching children to read. At Wimborne First School we teach phonics, following the, Read Write Inc. Programme. Reception- Children start with 20 minutes a day, this is then built up to around 40 minutes as the year progresses. Year 1- Children have 1 hour a day which is literacy and phonics combined.

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Screening Test? The National phonics screening check is a statutory assessment that was introduced in 2012 to all Year 1 pupils and is a quick and easy check of your child's phonics knowledge. We have had very successful results at Wimborne First School, with 80% of the children in 2016 passing the test. This was above the national average. We believe this is due to the dynamic and rigorous approach that Read, Write, Inc. provides and through the passion and commitment teachers display in the classrooms.

Screening Test? The test comprises of a list of 40 words and nonsense words. Your child will read 1:1 with a teacher. Your child will read up to 4 words per page. The screening test takes around 15 minutes. They will be asked to ‘sound out’ a word and blend the sounds together. The check is very similar to tasks the children already complete during phonics lessons.

Nonsense words? These are words that are phonetically decodable but not actual words with an associated meaning e.g. brip, snorb. These words are included in the check specifically to assess whether your child can decode a word using phonic skills and not their memory. The nonsense words will be shown to your child with a picture of an alien. The children will be asked what the aliens name is by reading the word. This will make the check a bit more fun and provides the children with a context for the nonsense word. Crucially it does not provide any clues, so your child has to be able to decode it.

Examples of words

How will it be administered? A child known to the teacher will conduct all of the screening checks with the children. The children will complete the check 1:1 in a quiet area of the school. We are not permitted to indicate to the children at the time whether they have correctly sounded out and / or blended the word. We aim to make it a very positive and fun experience that the children enjoy and want to complete.

And the results...? The DfE set the pass mark for the screening test which is not given to schools until after the screening tests have been administered and they have received results from schools. You will be informed in your child’s end of year school report of your child's progress in phonics and how he or she has done in the screening check. All of the children are individuals and develop at different stages. The screening check will identify children who need additional support. Children will then re‐take the screening test in year 2.

How can you help? REMEMBER: Phonics is not the only way you become a good reader. Continue to read with your child each night and encourage them to: Make up some ‘alien’ words together and practise reading them. Sound out the words and blend the sounds together. Re-read to check it makes sense and use pictures for clues. Ask questions about the book. And most importantly ENJOY READING!

Any Questions? We hope this information is useful. Remember, we are here to help your child achieve their very best. If you have any questions please ask your child's class Teacher.