To be worries? 0 on phonics screening.

[lollilou2]

My DS5, in year 1, got 0 on his phonics screening. They done 12 words with him, then decided not to carry on.

We read to him every night, he can’t read to us as he can’t read yet, but what else can be done to support him at home? He does small group work at school, is there anything else school can do to help him along? He is already on the SEN register but that’s due to speech and language.

Ok sounds like you've had great advice on here. A few things to add. Try sight reading for him- he will need phonics at some point but such reading can give a really confidence boost. Label everything in the house (door, bath, light- colours too- red etc) try having some words either tricky or set 1 words on his wall, mix them up, can he find the one beginning with? Which has 4 letters? Etc.
Also try online games and maybe a tutor.

Glasses don’t correct nystagmus as it’s not a refractive error so I would want to be totally sure he can access all the resources in class.

do you know what his corrected vision scores are? They’re usually something with 0. In front like 0.32. Not the same as the glasses prescription. Some people have nystagmus quite mildly or only when they close one eye and therefore it doesn’t affect them too badly and they don’t need QTVI support in school. Some children find it much harder as their vision is blurrier and they need resources adapting

I’m a teacher and the parents who make a fuss get the most done unfortunately. Look at end of expectations for reception and year 1 and ask them how they are going to support him, what will his targets be etc.

It was latent manifest nystagmus to start with, but now it seems constant, especially when he’s tired. He does have mild esotropia too, which doesn’t help, but the glasses correct it so they’re happy to leave that as it is. I can’t remember his exact score, I know it was one below UK driving eyesight requirements.

i think it was 6/18

When you are reading sit closely next to him and point the words as you read, emphasising common phonics (like "oo" in food, "ch" in chicken).

Green Eggs and Ham is really repetitive and good for starting reading.

Request an EHCNA yourself. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use. DS needs a proper assessment by multiple professionals so his needs and the support he requires can be better understood. Then he needs an EHCP so he receives the support he needs.

Alongside requesting an EHCNA, request a meeting with the SENCO. Even without an EHCP, the school should be providing support. They have a duty to make their best endeavours to meet DS’s SEN.

You can suggest op does that but you can't tell her she has to.

I'd be really worried at five if he can't read simple three and four letter words. Work with the school, do everything they suggest and ask for any and all help.

For some children phonics doesn't work, I seem to remember particularly children with dyslexia. So potentially over the summer you could try different approaches like reading whole words instead of sounding out to see if that works better for him. Phonics became the thing a few years ago and it works for most children, but I would guess after 2 years it's not going to help your son, so I'd look at alternative strategies

It was more a suggestion

Have you tried a reading program at home? We use Nessy and have seen huge improvements https://www.nessy.com/en-gb

DS also really enjoys the ladybird Peter and Jane books for sight words and they've boosted his confidence

You are right to be concerned. To get 0 on the phonics screening at this point in Y1 shows he cannot blend at all. I work in Y1, to put it into context even my very high needs SEN group including children who have just arrived in the U.K. scored 2/3.
Im not saying this to worry you but he needs some phonic support. My first suggestion would be to find out which phonics scheme they use. We use Little Wandle which promotes super supported blending initially, so you basically blend it for them and see if they can hear it. They gradually reduce the amount of support they give.
Start with the sounds SATPIN and make words with them and help him to blend them together. You’ll ideally need some cards to do this with. Then ask him to make the word PIN, SIT etc as well.
Please please don’t get Ladybird books or teach him to sight read, genuinely if he cannot retain the sounds from the start to the end of a CVC word ( like SAT) then he won’t be able to retain enough words to sight read.
I literally spend all day every day doing this, so please ask if I can help in anyway.

My question would be whether this low level of performance is an ‘outlier’, or whether he has similar struggles in Maths, in grasping concepts in other subjects, in remembering and retelling a story etc etc.

For a child where the low level of performance is present across all subjects, then urgent investigations in the form of an EHCNA should be explored, as a ‘general’ SEN is indicated and there may be a need for a specialist setting etc (these can be much easier to access the younger the child, and conversely become extremely full by the end of primary).

For a child of average or above ability but a very poor Phonics score, then there is obviously something more specific going on - could be visual, auditory, in working memory etc - and another reading method after intensive Phonics revision would be worth trying.

Whichever, you need to be working very actively with the school. Nobody should just be ‘hoping it will resolve in time’ or covering it up with platitudes about friendships. There is a specific or general SEN in play, which will need hard work from all to address.

6/18 if that’s with both eyes open and glasses on means he should definitely be assessed by a QTVI. The school will need advice on where to seat him and to ensure any resources are made big enough if they need to be. He could be missing a lot because he can’t see from where he’s sitting etc

My DGS passed his phonics test….just he is 6 and is getting a 1-1 next year no identifiable SEN as such. He has a different problem, he’s reading everything he loves his atlas atm and can read Pacific Ocean and North America BUT he doesn’t sound out the words he just seems to know them so we were worried about the phonics test. All I’m saying is that children learn very differently to each other I’m not sure I’m a fan of standardised tests

They use ‘read, write, inc.’. He does struggle in maths, all areas really, but not as much as this.

One of my offspring couldn't get phonics at all for reading. He struggled until I taught him using look and say, as I was taught, and he learnt amazingly quickly and was quickly a competent reader. Phonics is great if it works for the child and they are ready for it but it is not the only way as children are not one size fits all. Some children learn to read at 3, some not until much later, try not to worry he will get there.

The school on the other hand sound fairly useless. You know your child best, maybe try a few different reading books to see if one clicks, as they aren't really offering any support. .

Tbh it sounds as if he might struggle with whole word methods as well, given that the OP says difficulties extend to Maths etc as well.

Really important IP works with the school to get him comprehensively assessed via an EHCNA.

There are lots of oral blending games on busy things, teach your monster to read, topmarks and ict games. Also YouTube has a blending machine video and a blending song.

Although if he has speech issues it really is probably the cause of it, how can you blend the sounds if you're struggling to say them altogether anyway?

I'm surprised they didn't prep you that he would be this low. I hope they realised before!

Oh also, alphablocks.

Have you had him assessed for a learning disability? My son was like this, diagnosed with a moderate learning disability.
we did the whole word learning approach in the end, he now reads at 16+ level and is only 14. Phonics just doesnt work for some kids x

I actually don’t know how to get that assessed?

The Ladybird Peter and Jane books helped one of my children who was struggling with phonics.

They are actually incredibly good books for repetition of the most common words and building up slowly from the basics. Several generations learned to read this way and it can be combined with phonics. It's a good way of boosting confidence too.

How is his speech though OP? Is he speaking clearly or are the sounds not quite there yet? My other child could read well but had a speech issue where certain sounds weren't pronounced correctly. She really couldn't do L sounds at all.

We knew what she was saying even though it wasn't pronounced right. In the phonics test though the tester won't be familiar with your child's speech and they don't make allowances for speech impediments.

Some speech and language sessions did help my child a lot.

I'd request a meeting with the school and ask for confirmation of all additional support they now intend to provide.

I had to have extra reading lessons as a young child, then went on to excel in English at the top of the class.

There may be other ways to teach initial reading skills like whole word recognition, but all ways of teaching have to lead to phonics in the end, because letters represent spoken sounds in different combinations.

Nobody can possibly memorise every word in the dictionary by it's shape alone. Without using phonics you wouldn't be able to decode a word you have never read before. But we all can because we all use phonics to read whether you are aware of it or not.