KS1 Phonics Check
During June of Year 1, the children take part in a national phonics check. This involves reading 40 phonetically decodable words to their class teacher on an individual basis - 20 real words and 20 nonsense words. The nonsense words have an alien picture next to them to show that they are not real. The check is not stressful for the children and takes around 5 minutes per child to complete.
Since the phonics test was introduced, the expectation nationally has been that children have reached the required standard if they read 32 out of 40 words correctly. The standard is set yearly by the Department for Education after the phonics results have been submitted.
If a child does not reach the standard of scoring 32 out of 40, they will take part in the phonics check the following year when they are in year 2.
The results of the phonics check will be shared with you in your child's end of year school report.
Some examples of previous phonics checks are below:
The video below provides more information regarding phonetically decodable alien words:
Quick guide to Alien words.mp4
Further information about how we teach reading and phonics can be found on our reading and phonics curriculum page.