1. Information for Year 1 Parents Phonics Screening Check
Sacred Heart School
Information for Year 1 Parents
Phonics Screening Check

2. What is Phonics?
Children are taught to read by breaking down words into separate sounds or ‘phonemes’. They are then taught how to blend these sounds together to read the whole word.
There are around 40 different sounds.
Children have been learning these sounds since they started school in a daily phonics lesson. They are encouraged to use these strategies to read and write in other lessons.
They should have a blue sound mat to support them at home in reading and writing. .

3. The Screening Check
The screening check is compulsory for every Year 1 child in state schools.
It will take place during the week of 12th June.
The focus of the check is to assess that children can apply their phonics knowledge to ‘read’ the words and it doesn’t test their vocabulary.
In very special cases the headteacher can take the decision not to allow a child to take the test.
12th June is the week we return to school after fortnight’s holiday. It will be really important for the children to be in school every day that week so that they can practise everything they have learnt. It will also be really important that the children keep practising their phonics during that 2 week holiday.

4. What will the children do?
Each child will sit one to one with Mrs Smith and read the words at their own speed.
The test contains 40 words – 20 real words and 20 nonsense words.
Nonsense words have a picture of an alien on them.
The children will be encouraged to sound the sound out and then read it.
There’s no time limit. If a child becomes distressed the test can be stopped and restarted. We do all we can make the check seem like part of the normal school routine. Mrs Smith is in the process of doing a mock check with all the children to make them familiar with the routine.
Sounding out words is particularly helpful for those children who are the stronger readers. They tend to have a lot of words committed to memory and can easily misread a word. For example the nonsense word stong is likely to be misread as strong unless a child is sounding out. We encourage children to touch the word cards and put their fingers under the letters when sounding out or they can actually write on the cards to add sound buttons. When reading polysyllabic words we encourage children to use their hands to cover syllables. We are aware of children who do not pronounce the sounds correctly yet and can give them a mark if they read ‘sop’ not ‘shop’.

5. Examples of words

6. And the results...?
We are not allowed to tell the children whether they have read the words correctly.
We will not find out the pass mark until late June.
Parents will receive their child’s score with their end of year report.
Children who do not pass the test will be supported in Year 2 with phonics and will retake the check in June 2018.

7. How can you help?
Encourage your child to use their sounds when they are reading at home. Look back through their homework book and practise the sounds and words.
Children can practise their phonics by playing games online. The children particularly like -
* Buried Treasure
* Picnic on Pluto
As we have done throughout the year, following on from assessments this week, some children will receive specific sounds to practise. If your child has a sound to practise it’s because they didn’t read it correctly in the test - the sounds sent home have been tailored to each child.

8. Questions?

9. On entry to Year 2, children are expected to be reading at ORT Stage 7
Reading Expectations
On entry to Year 1, children are expected to be reading at ORT Stage 4.
On entry to Year 2, children are expected to be reading at ORT Stage 7
Hyperlink – look at ORT 3, 5, 7. Need to be on 5 now to reach 7 in September.

10. Help your child become a better reader.
Practise, practise, practise! Please listen to your child read 5 times a week for minutes and record in their reading record.
Using phonics isn’t the only way to read.
Try reading online at oxfordowl.co.uk
Ask questions about the book.
And most importantly ENJOY READING!
Children who are heard reading the most at home make the fastest progress. Don’t have to read the whole book at a time. Hyperlink on picture. Reading leaflet.