1. Phonics Information Evening
Tuesday 8th May 2018
3:40pm and 5:20pm

2. What is ‘Phonics Screening?’
The phonics screening check is a short assessment to confirm whether individual children have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard.
The checks consist of 40 words that your child will be asked to read one-on-one with their teacher.

3. Why do we do it?
It is a statutory requirement for all schools to carry out the screening check in Year 1.
It identifies the children who need extra support in school to improve their reading skills.
Children are able to retake the check in Year 2 if they do not meet the required standard in Year 1.
Further phonic support is given to children in KS2 if required.

4. When does it happen?
All schools should administer the check during the week beginning Monday 11 June 2018.
Mrs Walpole and Mrs Rice are going to administer the test on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th June, the first week back after half term.
If a pupil is absent from school, they can take the check any time up until Friday 22 June.
If a pupil does not take the check during this period, and returns to school after Friday 22 June, they are recorded as absent.

5. Who administrators the test and how long does it last?
Mrs Walpole and Mrs Rice will carry out the test.
The children have had many practices since September, using practice materials, so it will be nothing out of the ordinary for them.
The test is not timed and can take anything from 2 minutes to 10 minutes to complete – every child is different!
Children who require a break in the test are able to take a rest break whenever needed.

6. What does the test consist of?
It comprises of a list of 40 words – a mixture of real words and nonsense words.
The children are very used to reading nonsense words as we read them every day when we teach phonics.
Nonsense words are important because ‘words’ such as ‘vap’ or ‘jound’ are new to all the children. Children cannot read the nonsense words by using their memory or vocabulary so they have to use their decoding skills. Therefore, this is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.

7. What does the test look like?

8. Just reading or adding sound buttons?
Children can choose to either:
Segment each sound by sight and then blend the sounds back together to read the full word.
E.g: ‘b–ai–m…. baim’
Use a pencil or white board pen to add sound buttons to the word. This helps them recognise the individual sounds to blend and read the full word correctly.
E.g: baim

9. How are the children’s answers recorded?
We mark on an answer sheet whether the child has said the word correctly or incorrectly. We also have the option to write a comment if needed. For example: Child said ‘or’ instead of ‘er.’
Correct answers are totalled up and recorded at the bottom of the child’s sheet.

10. What is the pass mark and how is it reported to parents?
The threshold in both 2016 and 2017 was 32 words out of 40. The pass mark for 2018 is unknown to teachers and will be available later in June after the screening check has taken place.
When your child receives their end of year academic report, they will have a separate sheet outlining their results from the screening.

11. How can you help your child at home?
Practice the sounds in the phonics pack provided. Ensure they punctuate the sounds accurately, again your pack has rhymes to help with these.
Practice reading a mixture of real and nonsense words at home. Ask your child to add sound buttons so it is clear they are identifying the phonemes, digraphs and trigraphs.
Play phonics games online.
Read and talk about words around your environment.

12. Useful websites! http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/phonics

13. Over to you… Any questions?