1. Year One Parents’ Meeting. March 2015
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

2. So, what exactly is phonics?
Words are made up from small units of sound called phonemes. Phonics teaches children to be able to listen carefully and identify the phonemes that make up each word. This helps children to learn to read words and to spell words.

3. Beginner readers learn to:
1.Match letters to sounds
2. Blend sounds in order all through a word to read it
3. Split (segment) words into their individual sounds for spelling

4. What is the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check?
The phonics screening check is a short and simple assessment of phonic decoding. It consists of a list of 40 words, half real words and half non-words, which Year 1 children read to a teacher. Administering the assessment usually takes between four and nine minutes per child.
What is the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check?

5. What is the Year 1 phonics screening check?
The Year 1 phonics screening check is a quick assessment to confirm whether children have learnt how to use phonics to work out or decode words.
It will also identify the children who need extra help so they are given support to improve their reading skills.

6. Who is it for?
The screening check is for all Year 1 pupils in maintained schools, academies and Free Schools.

7. Is it compulsory?
It is a statutory requirement for all schools to carry out the screening check.

8. When does it happen?
Schools will be able to administer the check at any time that suits them during the week of the 15th- 19th June 2015

9. How long does the check take?
Every child is different, but last year the check took between 5 and 10 minutes for each child.

10. How is the check structured?
It is a short, simple screening check to make sure that all the children have grasped phonic skills. It comprises a list of 40 words and non-words, which a child will read one-to-one with a teacher.
Half the words cover phonic skills which tend to be covered in Reception, and half the words are based on Year 1 phonic skills

11. Words and non words
Non words are included as they are new to all children and they have to use their decoding skills to work them out rather than relying on memory

12. Example

13. Were children confused by the non-words?
The non-words are presented alongside a picture of an imaginary creature, and children can be told the non-word is the name of that type of creature. This helps children to understand the non-word should not be matched to their existing vocabulary.

14. What happens if a child does not meet the standard?
The screening check will identify children who have phonic decoding skills below the level expected for the end of Year 1 and who therefore need extra help. We then provide extra help for those children who will then be able to retake the assessment in Year 2.

15. How do we teach phonics at St Marys?
Each class has a daily phonic teaching session.
We use Jolly Phonics during the first term in Reception.
Then from the Spring term in Reception we follow ‘Letters and Sounds’ phonic programme through school to the end of Year 2.
All the phonics mats are on the class pages- so you can see the different phases.

16. Phonics Lessons Lessons are fun and interactive Many games are played
Time to practise skills on whiteboards
Computer resources are used to support teaching.

17. What does phonic teaching look like in Year One?
Lots of free phonics games available on the internet- ictgames com, bbc
ICT games- Whiteboard work- sentence work
Espresso- short phonics video- you can access this at home.
Word Bingo
Paired games/ group games
Fishing for sounds! Flash cards, nonsense words
Guided reading
Class reading- big book, writing as a class.

19. How to support your child?

20. Let your child see you enjoying reading yourself – they are influenced by you and what you value!
Immerse your child in a love of reading: share books and magazines with your child, take them to the library to choose books, read to them regularly, point out texts around you, e.g. in the street etc.
Make time for your child to read school books to you regularly – encourage them by pointing to the words and ask them about the story they are reading
Use phonics play  This is a website which is packed with interactive phonics games to help children to learn to hear sounds and blend sounds. We use this in school and some aspects of it are free to use at home.
Look at Espresso phonics- all the sounds/ videos are there as a revision aid.

21. What shall I do if my child is struggling to decode?
Say each sound in the word from left to right.
Blend the sounds by pointing to each letter, i.e. /b/ in bat, or letter group, i.e. /igh/ in sigh, as you say the sound, then run your finger under the whole word as you say it.
Talk about the meaning if your child does not understand the word they have read.
Work at your child’s pace and have FUN!
Remember! We are here to help your child to do their very best and develop a fluency and love of reading.