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Original poster

Can’t make up my mind about Year 1 phonics check

68 replies

Rainallnight · 02/04/2022 20:21

DD has Year 1 phonics check coming up soon. School have sent home some phonics materials for the Easter holidays (first time they’ve done this), and are putting on a phonics workshop for parents.

I can’t make up my mind whether to do extra phonics work with DD to ‘prepare’ for the test.

A big part of me thinks that this is basically the Government’s test of the school, and I’m not going to make my five year old do extra work for it. Her ability on the day of the test should be her ability with all other things being equal, not as a result of extra pressure/prep. Is that unreasonable?

But on the other hand, if this is the benchmark, then presumably it’s important for Year 2 that they reach that standard?

Can’t decide.

OP posts:
Flyingbymypants · 02/04/2022 20:23

No you don't need to prep for this.

Tiredmum12389 · 02/04/2022 20:25

I wouldn't do extra work for the test. However if your daughter is happy to read and practice phones with you then this will help her hugely with schooling in general.

Tiredmum12389 · 02/04/2022 20:26

Phonics*

SuperSleepyBaby · 02/04/2022 20:29

It really doesn’t matter. She will learn to read in her own time. Even if she doesn’t do well on the test what difference does it actually make.

DaisyDozyDee · 02/04/2022 20:29

If she needs extra help with phonics, there’s an argument for doing that after the screening check rather than before. The point of the check is to identify which children need extra help, so you don’t want artificial results.
However, most teachers will know which children need more help anyway and most schools would base the extra support they offer on actual need, rather than performance in the phonics check.

MrsToothyBitch · 02/04/2022 20:32

I would do some practice/whatever reading and phonics you normally do as it's good to keep it up in the hols but no "extra". If dd shows real enthusiasm on some days then do a little more at those times whilst she's still engaged but I wouldn't make it stressful or an expectation.

Lion1618 · 02/04/2022 20:33

I'm a Year 1 teacher and have a Year 1 daughter myself. I wouldn't do anything additionally just for the phonics check, although I would support my daughter with phonics if I knew she had lots of gaps or was finding reading difficult. The phonics check is a test on the school. The government don't care about the individual children who don't pass in Year 1. There is an expectation that they will retake the test and should pass it in Year 2 but if they dont, they still proceed to Year 3 and it's down to the individual school to decide what support they might need, if any. There is no additional funding to support children who don't pass the check.
Make sure your child doesn't know that it's testing her ability. With my own class, I always phrase assessments as being something which helps the teachers to understand what they know already and what they need learn and practise now.

LittleBearPad · 02/04/2022 20:34

Just read with her - no need to do more

Wnkingawalrus · 02/04/2022 20:36

Phonics workshop sounds entirely normal to me. We had one when DC1 was in reception to help us understand how they teach so that we could help them at home.

I don’t see the harm in helping them/encouraging them a few times over the holidays. It doesn’t need to be a big deal. We make sure DC1 continues to read through the holidays.

Headteacher415 · 02/04/2022 22:13

Forget the test - it's a measure of whether she can read at what the government deem to be an age-appropriate level. If she can, and is therefore in line with 80% of her peers, the phonics worksheets will be a complete waste of time. If she can't they'll probably be of some help.

thebabynanny · 02/04/2022 22:16

You don't need to prep for it. Just do your normal reading with her.

If she doesn't know some of the sounds in the check, or struggles to blend them, then the teacher can work on that with her after.

Theyellowflamingo · 02/04/2022 22:42

Surely the time for a phonics workshop was early in reception class, though I guess they’ll claim covid.

I couldn’t have cared less about the phonics screening test, but I was reasonably comfortable that DC knew what they were supposed to, were at an appropriate level of book band, reading comprehension etc and that therefore just practicing phonics they already knew for the sake of practicing it was pointless. If they hadn’t been at an appropriate level I’d have done the practice because they needed the practice to grasp a necessary skill, not for the sake of a test.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 02/04/2022 22:48

Isn't this the test with 'nonsense' words? Completely ridiculous if you ask me.

LadyMacduff · 02/04/2022 22:58

@TakemedowntoPotatoCity

Isn't this the test with 'nonsense' words? Completely ridiculous if you ask me.
Why is it ridiculous?
purpleme12 · 02/04/2022 23:03

God I never even thought about this phonics test!!

DifficultBloodyWoman · 02/04/2022 23:07

Hmmmmmmm.

Phonics help children learn to read. Good readers tend to do well at school and university. People who do well at school and university have far more options available to the in life.

I’d do the phonics for parents course because it will help you help your child.

Id do as much reading with my child as I possibly could because it is so valuable for them. That may or may not include the worksheets the school has sent home.

Rights · 02/04/2022 23:19

Ye gods, she is FIVE - do you even need to ask?!

Fridgeorflight · 02/04/2022 23:23

The phonics workshop is far too late. We had one at the beginning of reception and it really helped me to support my DDs' reading. It meant I knew the terminology that went with their phonics scheme and is used across phonics more generally too. Things like "a red word", "oa goat in a boat" and "digraph". A phonics workshop at this point in year 1 is hardly going to change the outcome of the phonics check.

feeona123 · 02/04/2022 23:59

We got sent home some real words and ‘monster’ words to work on. To be honest we haven’t looked at them. If the school actually read with my child this term then I’d be more inclined to put more effort in.

Blondieblond · 03/04/2022 02:37

If she is borderline on passing or not, I would do a bit of extra (making it fun practice) as otherwise she will need to do it again in year 2.

alphabetsoup1980 · 03/04/2022 07:38

@feeona123

We got sent home some real words and ‘monster’ words to work on. To be honest we haven’t looked at them. If the school actually read with my child this term then I’d be more inclined to put more effort in.
Wow... Great attitude
SafelySoftly · 03/04/2022 07:59

Why would you not help your child achieve their full potentialConfused

ThisIsNotARealAvo · 03/04/2022 08:02

The test is about the school and making sure they are teaching children to read but if your child can't yet read at the Y1 expected level then they will struggle even more in Y2 and get further behind, so I would be practising every day.

PurpleFlower1983 · 03/04/2022 08:03

I would do some practise, particularly with the nonsense words. Not teaching as such but reminding her to spot the sound first then sound her words out rather than site reading those words as even the most able readers can come a bit unstuck.

BendingSpoons · 03/04/2022 08:10

I'd try the work. If it's easy then great. If it's tricky I'd work on it in a gradual way. A PP said 80% pass the check, so if it looks like my DD might struggle to, then I'd assume she needs help more generally. In which case I'd rather start now than wait another term.