Phonics Screening Check Information

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a supportive, statutory assessment that takes place nationally each June to confirm that your child has securely mastered early reading skills. This academic year the test will be administered in the week beginning Monday 14th June 2027.  

Administered on a relaxed, one-to-one basis with a familiar adult, the check takes about 5 to 10 minutes and requires children to read a list of 40 words aloud.

This list is split evenly into 20 real words and 20 "nonsense words" (made up of "alien words" that test pure decoding rather than memory).

Because we use the structured Read Write Inc Phonic Scheme, our pupils are already well-practised in using "Fred Talk" to spot "Special Friends" and sound out these trickier words.

The goal of the check is simply to identify any small gaps in phonic knowledge; your child's score will be shared with you by the end of the summer term, and if they do not meet the Department for Education's threshold standard, we will continue providing targeted reading support to ensure they are fully prepared to confidently retake the check in Year 2.

There will be a few practice words first to make sure your child understands the activity.

It checks that your child can:

• Sound out and blend graphemes in order to read simple words.
• Read phonically decodable one-syllable and two-syllable words, e.g. cat, sand, windmill.
• Read a selection of nonsense words which are referred to as pseudo words.

The check is not about passing or failing, but checking if appropriate progress is being made. If children do not reach the required standard, then the teacher will be in touch to discuss plans and offer additional, tailored support to ensure that your child can catch up.

Children progress at different speeds, so not reaching the threshold score does not necessarily mean there is a serious problem. Your child will re-sit the check the following summer term when they are in Year 2. 

For the last few years, the threshold mark (or pass standard) set by the government has been 32 correct answers out of 40.

The school will report your child’s results to you by the end of the summer term as well as to the local authority, but the results won’t be published in a league table as with SATs. If you have any concerns, do talk to your teacher about this in a parents’ meeting or after school.

How to support at home:

To help your child practice at home using the Read Write Inc.  approach, encourage them to follow three simple steps for every word they read.

1. First, ask them to spot any "Special Friends"—two or more letters that work together to make a single sound, like sh or igh.

2. Next, ask them to "Fred talk" the word by saying the individual sounds out loud (e.g., f-i-sh).

3. Finally, they can "read the word" by blending those sounds smoothly together (fish).

Applying this consistent routine to both real and "alien" words will naturally build their confidence and fluency ahead of the screening check.