What is the Phonics screening check?

The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge. It helps your school confirm whether your child has made the expected progress.

How does the check work?

• Your child will sit with a teacher he or she knows and be asked to read 40 words aloud.
• Your child may have read some of the words before, while others will be completely new.
• The check normally takes just a few minutes to complete and there is no time limit. If your child is struggling, the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.

What are ‘alien words’?

The check will contain a mix of real words and ‘non-words’ which we call ‘alien’ words. Your child will be told before the check that there will be alien words that he or she will not have seen before. Many children will be familiar with this because many schools already use the term alien words when they teach phonics. Alien words are important to include because words such as ‘vap’ or ‘jound’ are new to all children. Children cannot read the alien words by using their memory or vocabulary; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.

All children are individuals and develop at different rates. The screening check ensures that teachers understand which children need extra help with phonic decoding.

The phonics screening check will take place week commencing, Monday 12 June 2023.