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Original poster

Parents of children who have had their phonics screening

208 replies

bronze · 07/07/2012 10:57

Have you all heard how they did?

I haven't and I'm worried as I'm pretty sure dd is going to fail. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to know by now or not or if I'll be told at all

OP posts:
Niceweather · 13/07/2012 21:28

DS2 failed with 14/40. He hasn't been part of the extra literacy support group. His reading attainment is a 1B which is bang on average. Not overly concerned as DS1 has dyslexia and is very bright. His reading and comprehension is above average but his phonic de-coding is very poor. Phonics are not the only way to learn to read.

mrz · 14/07/2012 07:25

I'm sorry you feel that way Niceweather because dyslexic children benefit greatly from good phonic knowledge later in their school career.

fivegomadindorset · 14/07/2012 07:30

What test? DD's report said that she had passed the new Yr 1 phonics test, but that is the first I have heard about it.

Niceweather · 14/07/2012 07:34

Totally agree Mrz and I am hoping that DS2 is going to get some extra phonic lessons at school - he would benefit enormously from them. He cannot easily decode new words and his reading is several years behind what it should be but it is still above average. His phonic de-coding is down on the 6th percentile. He has however just got a Level 5a for his Yr 7 English reading test at school.

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 07:37

NiceWeather - it's not concerning that your DS failed the phonics check.

It is concerning that he's not receiving extra help.

luckily, because of this check, school will now have to provide extra support for him next year. And then he'll sit the check again next year.

If he has auditory discrimination problems then he might find learning to read by phonics hard - but you won't know if he can do it or not unless school put everything they have in it.

You really don't want him to have literacy problems when he's older which could have been sorted out now with a lot of extra effort by school.

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 07:38

X-posted :)

mrz · 14/07/2012 07:41

As a parent I was lulled into a sense of false security by teachers and EPs telling me not to worry because my son's reading was very advanced I really wish this check had been around when he was 6.

Niceweather · 14/07/2012 08:10

Right, I am going to speak to them next week. There has been a small group from his class who have been taken out for Extra Literacy Support for the whole year but he wasn't one of them. IndigoBell, are you saying that school now HAVE to provide extra support?

Mrz, teachers have not understood my DS1s difficulties either. His Yr6 teacher even told me that his reading was too good for him to have dyslexia. Secondary school has been fantastic and he now has a laptop.

Hope we are not going to have to go through all this with DS2 as well!

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 08:12

Odds are pretty high they both have dyslexia.

As far as I'm aware the school has to provide extra support - he also has to pass the test next year.

mrz · 14/07/2012 08:13

What happens if a child does not meet the standard?

The screening check will identify children who have phonic decoding skills below the level expected for the end of Year 1 and who therefore need extra help. <strong>Schools will be expected to provide extra help</strong> and children will then be able to re-take the assessment in Year 2.

www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/pedagogy/phonics/a00198207/faqs-year-1-phonics-screening-check#faq25

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 08:22

I think the most important thing is that you don't let school say it doesn't matter because he's reading well.

You need to keep on pressuring school to teach him phonics (or teach him yourself at home)

Yes, he may learn quicker via whole words. But that is no reason to stop intensive phonics teaching.

Niceweather · 14/07/2012 08:32

Could I start using Toe by Toe with him? I have a copy at home. He does get some words muddled verbally which I know is a sign but DS1 never did this.

DS2 draws a lot and can do jigsaws whereas DS1 didn't know left from right, couldn't do jigsaws or shape sorters and was very slow to pick up a pen and make marks. He did however have an astonishing memory and was shouting out shop signs and aisle numbers when he was 2.

If DS2 has dyslexia as well then it is manifesting itself differently. DP has it mildly but it was never picked up at school.

&%£$!

anniebunny · 14/07/2012 08:34

My DDs school called in all the year 1 parents as the school's results were crap- about 30% passed (Ofsted outstanding school). Anyway- they reckon that nationally it was schools with lots of EAL kids that did well and the 'Outstanding' school that often did badly but then went on to say that over 70% of their year 6s had got level 5 for reading in the SATs so clearly they must be doing something right so they weren't going to change how they teach!

They showed us the words- one was 'strom' which many of the fluent readers had read as storm, and the marking criteria said that they had to take the child's final answer even if they'd said the word correctly earlier.

We then got called over individually to get our child's results- DD passed with 35/40 but she had just finished stage 11 of ORT and was a 2a for reading in March so I would have been very surprised if she'd been classified as failing with phonics! Her mistakes were things like saying scrape for scrap.

mrz · 14/07/2012 08:36

muddling letters in words isn't necessarily a sign of dyslexia although often cited as one.

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 08:37

Dyslexia is a spectrum condition, and will present differently in different kids.

He may or may not have it. I'm not saying he does. Just statistically he's more likely to if his brother does.

You can do toe-by-toe with him if you think he will do it. I prefer Dancing Bears for a young child. But they both work on very similar principles......

Makinglists · 14/07/2012 08:45

Ds got 33/40 so just passed but a 2c for reading.

Dillydollydaydream · 14/07/2012 08:54

My ds failed. Not sure what he scored though, that wasn't included in the report. He is on the turquoise Oxford reading tree books level 7 I think it is and isnt 6 til end of July. Slightly worried now, will wed to speak to his teacher.

Niceweather · 14/07/2012 09:11

It does seem that a very high proportion of children are failing this test to lesser and greater degrees.

If DS2 does indeed have dyslexia then it is clearly not severe which is a great relief.

mrz · 14/07/2012 10:05

Many schools are reporting they have a 100% "pass" rate.

Niceweather · 14/07/2012 10:22

100% pass rate!!!! No SEN or dyslexia then!

maizieD · 14/07/2012 10:31

Phonics are not the only way to learn to read.

Did you know, niceweather, that phonics (albeit a rather complicated version) is at the very heart of all the 'specialist dyslexia teaching' recommended by the Dyslexia Support groups?

100% pass rate!!!! No SEN or dyslexia then!

There will probably SEN but if you sit back and think for a minute or two does it not make you wonder if:
a) A very high percentage of children, including children with SEN, learn to read with phonics
and b) 'dyslexia' might, in a great many cases, just have some connection with the teaching method..?

IndigoBell · 14/07/2012 10:36

The 100% pass rate reflects the fact that almost all kids, including those with dyslexia and SEN, can be taught to read if they're taught properly.

You have to have a very low IQ to not be able to learn to read - ie the kind of IQ that means you would be in a special school not mainstream.

If your child has failed, you can well and truly blame bad teaching in almost all cases.

Megan74 · 14/07/2012 10:41

My daughter failed despite being a fluent and independent reader (top literacy set and reading a year ahead) Confused Make of that what you will but think it demonstrates the test is not up to much. Hvaing said that I will do a bit of extra work with her over the summer for phonics.

Lizzylou · 14/07/2012 10:44

DS2 got 40.
It is completely down to teaching, for the last 2 terms they have had weekly phonics groups so all pupils are well prepped for this test.
If DS1 had taken it at the same age it would have been borderline for him I think.

choccyp1g · 14/07/2012 11:03

The child that is reading "Storm" for "Strom" may well be the child that gets into difficulties later on. As a reading volunteer, I come across Y6 children who are "good" readers, reading long novels for pleasure, but make annoying mistakes when reading aloud .

For example:
"concerned" for "condescending",
"influence" for "inflorescence"
"interesting" for "intersecting"

Sometimes they are getting the majority of the story, but missing some of the detail; when it comes to reading for science or maths, they will be getting very confused.

The more I read of the "great mumsnet phonics debate", the keener I am on phonics right from the start, even for the children who can already read.