Phonics Screening Check
Phonics Screening Check
All children in Year 1 take part in a Phonics Screening Check. This check takes place in June and the results will be shared with parents at the end of the year alongside children's end of year report.
As part of the Phonics Screening Check children will be asked to read 40 words. 20 will be real words, 20 will be 'alien' pseudo/fake words. The children will need to use their phonics knowledge to decode both the real and 'alien' words correctly.
The words start off easier and get harder as the check continues. The children will encounter a wide variety of the sounds they have been learning at school throughout the year. To ensure that all children are sucessfull in passing the test it is important that they are familiar with all of the sounds they have learnt this year and in Reception and that they can identify and apply these sounds when reading.
Here are some ways you can help support your child to get ready for the screening check:
- Practise their reading book, reading magazines or other words in the environment.
- Practise recognising the sounds including using the Read Write Inc rhymes to help them remember them.
- Do some 'sound spotting' look for specific sounds in texts e.g. looking for the 'ai' sound and highlighting it
- Draw sound buttons on words. For each single letter sound draw a dot underneath, when you get to a 'digraph' or 'trigraph' 2 or 3 letters that make one sound e.g. 'ee' or 'igh' you draw a line underneath. For split vowel digraphs you draw an arch or a rainbow to show that the two letters are "best friends" and that they are are "holding hands".
- Play word sorting games like Buried Treasure - in this game you have to read and sort out real words and alien words. You could play the interactive versions online or you could print or make you own paper version. (If playing the online version of the games - links below - children should focus on Phase 3, 4 and 5. You can choose individual sounds to practise or recap the whole phase)
- Play games on the 'Phonics Play' apps to practise reading, spelling and sound recognition.
We will be holding a parents information meeting/workshop throughout the year to give you a more complete picture, with the oppotunity to discuss some of these strategies further and answer any questions you may have.
