2. 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. Children have a 20 mins phonics lesson each day and they are encouraged to use these strategies to read and write in other lessons. There are around 40 different sounds. School has purchased new phonic materials which develop children’s phonic decoding skills.

4. Every Year 1 child in the country will be taking the phonics screening check in the same week in June. The aim of the check is to ensure that all children are able to read by the end of year two. This ‘midpoint check’ will ensure that we have a clear understanding of what the children need to learn in year 2. Year 2 children who did not meet the standard last year will have to re-take the phonics screening again. Phonics interventions have been put in place to help children meet this standard.

5. The check is very similar to tasks the children already complete during phonics lessons. Children will be asked to ‘sound out’ a word and blend the sounds together.eg d-o-g - dog The focus of the check is to see which sounds the children know and therefore the children will be asked to read made up ‘nonsense’ words.

6. The test will consist of a booklet with four real/nonsense words on a page. Nonsense words will have a picture of a monster/alien character on them. Children will be told ‘all words on this page are real or all words are nonsense.’

8. The screening will take place throughout the week beginning Monday 13 th June. The children cannot retake the test at any other time so it is very important your child is in school during this week. The check has been designed so that children of all abilities will be able to take part.

9. The children will complete the check one at a time in a quiet area of the school. The screening will be conducted by the same member of staff to ensure consistency and this will be a familiar teacher to them. The screening will take about 5-10mins with each child.

11. We are unable to give any prompts – point along a word, ask children to have another look at a letter e.g. mixing b/d/p or remind to blend. Children can sound out the word but then must say it as a word with no gaps between sounds. We must take your child’s final answer even if they initially get the word correct e.g. blurst-burst crips-crisps The pass mark is usually around 32 but is now withheld until after the screening takes place.

12. Encourage your child to ‘sound out’ when reading or writing. Focusing particularly on spotting more unusual sound patterns. E.g. Digraph- 2 letters making one sound cow Trigraphs- 3 letters making one sound night Split digraphs- 2 vowels with a consonant in between. Used to be known as the magic e! spine - i_e

13. Encourage your child to use their sound mat when writing and use their actions to find the sound they need. Children can practise their phonics by playing games online. The children particularly like ‘Buried Treasure’ http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk /BuriedTreasure2.html

14. REMEMBER: Phonics is not the only thing needed to become a fluent reader. Please continue to read with your child each night and encourage them to: Sound out. Re-read to check it makes sense. Use pictures for clues. Ask questions about the book. And most importantly ENJOY READING!

16. Year 2 SATs In the summer term 2016, children at the end of Key Stage 1 will sit new SATs papers. That means that if your child is in Year 2, they will be among the first pupils to take the new test. SATs have been overhauled in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to reflect the changes to the national curriculum, which was introduced from September 2014. At the end of Year 2, children will take SATs in: Reading English grammar, punctuation and spelling Maths The new-style KS1 SATs are due to be administered in May 2016. The tests are set externally, but will be marked by teachers within the school.

17. SATs Results national curriculum levels standardised scorenational curriculum levels standardised score Instead of the old national curriculum levels, children will be given a standardised score.national curriculum levelsstandardised score Teacher assessments will, as always, form an integral part of building up a picture of your child’s learning and achievements. In addition, your child will receive an overall result saying whether they have achieved the required standard in the tests. The Department for Education aims for 85 per cent of children to reach the required standard.

18. Key stage 1 grammar, spelling and punctuation (SPaG) Key stage 1 grammar, spelling and punctuation Children taking Key Stage 1 SATs will sit two separate papers in grammar, spelling and punctuation: Paper 1: a 20-word spelling test taking approximately 15 minutes and worth 10 marks. Paper 2: a grammar, punctuation and vocabulary test, in two sections of around 10 minutes each (with a break between, if necessary), worth 20 marks. This will involve a mixture of selecting the right answers e.g. through multiple choice, and writing short answers.

19. Key Stage 1 Reading tests Key Stage One Reading: The new reading test for Year 2 pupils will involve two separate papers: Paper 1 consists of a selection of texts totalling 400 to 700 words, with questions interspersed. Paper 2 comprises a reading booklet of a selection of passages totalling 800 to 1100 words. Children will write their answers in a separate booklet. Each paper is worth 50 per cent of the marks, and should take around 30 minutes, but children will not be strictly timed, as the tests are not intended to assess children’s ability to work at speed. The texts in the reading papers will cover a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and will get progressively more difficult towards the end of the test. Teachers will have the option to stop the test at any point that they feel is appropriate for a particular child.

20. How can you help? SPaG:

21. How can you help? Reading: ukhosted47.renlearn.co.uk/2250129

22. Key Stage 1 Maths test The new Key Stage 1 maths test will comprise two papers: Paper 1: arithmetic, worth 25 marks and taking around 15 minutes. Paper 2: mathematical fluency, problem-solving and reasoning, worth 35 marks and taking 35 minutes, with a break if necessary. There will be a variety of question types: multiple choice, matching, true/false, constrained (e.g. completing a chart or table; drawing a shape) and less constrained (e.g. where children have to show or explain their method). Children will not be able to use any tools such as calculators or number lines

23. Practice papers for the KS1 1 2016 SATs: The Department for Education has produced some sample papers for teachers, which you can look through to understand what kind of questions will be asked. Visit DFE website for sample assessment materials. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum- assessments-2016-sample-materials