A guide for parents of year 1 & 2 children:

The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check a pupil's phonics knowledge. It helps the school confirm whether pupils have made the expected progress. The national phonics screening check was introduced in 2012 to all Year 1 pupils in the country. It is a short, statutory assessment to ensure that children are making sufficient progress in the phonics skills to read words and are on track to become fluent readers who can enjoy reading for pleasure and for learning. Pupils may take the test in Year 2 if they are not successful in Year 1.

How does the check work?

Each pupil will sit with the class teacher and will be asked to read 40 words aloud. The test normally takes a few minutes. If the pupil is struggling the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for pupils. The check consists of a list of 40 words, half real words and half nonsense words, the nonsense words will be shown next to a picture of an alien. This not only makes the check a bit more fun, but provides the children with a context for the nonsense word which is independent from any existing vocabulary they may have.