DS1 failed the Year 1 Phonics test. Is he alone?

[AnnieMated]

Shocked and upset actually. Trying my hardest not to be, but he's a pretty good reader and is finishing ORT level 6 and reading fluently with no trouble.

He got 28 out of 40 and the pass mark is 40.

What I most concerned about is that the school didn't even inform parents their children were going to be tested, we just got a bland, round-robin letter today in their book bags with the results.

Anyone like to reassure me? Don't want to ask the other mums from the school but will have a chat with the teachers tomorrow if I can...

CatherineDeB because it identifies those who need more help, it doesn't matter if you need more help because you're young or if you need more help because you've missed two years of schooling, or whatever reason. Denying a child help simply because they are younger would not serve anyone.

CatherineDeB if you or your school choose to use the word failure, then that's down to your own choice it's not the words that are supposed to be used, so again, knocking the test for parents and teachers who fuck up, but at the same time saying the teachers are awesome and parents know best...

We didn't hear the word "failed" IIRC (it was 4 years ago) the wording on the results sheet was something along the lines of score versus expected mark. It was on a sheet of paper with her report, I have never opened reports in the playground and I chose not to share the result with DD, she didn't need to know.

sirfredfredgeorge, my ds never found phonics boring, even though he can decode words already.
Maths, he figured out coping mechanism quite early on, by finishing the task quickly and do some sort of his own extension work within topic.

maybe i have a very compliant child. (Not at home though..)

Who do they hear the "failed" word from? As a teacher I would never tell a child they've failed (and don't see any reason a parent would choose to). Parents are informed of their child's score and the threshold.

It's very easy to say 'poor teaching' - when it's really obvious to me that not all children are going to find the same things interesting, and for some children, the so called 'best practice' is not going to be the right approach - but equally unless you home educate, you are within a class of 30, and there is a limit to the number of ways teaching can be adapted - you just can't teach in 30 unique ways.

They don't have to find them interesting but they do have to be engaged by the teacher

"Meanwhile we have parents (and children) hearing the 'failed' word which is bloody dreadful."

It is bloody dreadful, and any school which uses that language should be rightly castigated. There is absolutely no need for it when screening children.

Who is saying "failed"?

mrz - agree, but I also know that ds3 is v quirky, and if he's not interested he just switches off completely - and it's not possible with 30 kids in a class to find 30 different ways of engaging children!! I have no complaints about the teaching at all, they've done really well with him, and they've obviously done their job, I genuinely just think he would have been more inspired learning in a way more like ds1 learned to read

Fwiw, I think there are other issues with phonics (as there would be with any system), but I think there is a general view that 'phonics must not be criticised' - I think a child being able to decode words can actually mask processing difficulties, where a child might be able to say the word correctly (e.g. with the 'alien' words), but being able to understand what they're reading is a whole different ball game (I do have specific cases in mind here - where because they can decode the phonics, processing and understanding difficulties have not been picked up till later, and therefore they aren't getting the 1:1 they should have sooner).

That's a teachers job

Ds "failed" his phonics screening. He admitted to me he got bored so guessed words, his teacher when I spoke to her this morning basically agreed that it is a test which doesn't necessary provide an accurate picture. She knows he is competent at phonics and his reading is very good and fluent so neither of us are in the slightest bit bothered!

It takes about TWO minutes to complete the phonics screening check I don't believe any child gets bored that easily

Ds is autistic with probable adhd - if an activity isn't engaging then he would be bored before it started! And reading a random list of words is hardly likely to engage a child no matter how it's presented!

Sirzy, I think your first post was misleading.
Your dc may have reason to be bored, but if others didn't get pass mark, either children has problem or teaching is no good. Either way, it can't be ignored.

From what I can tell from parents bragging most others seem to have passed. But if a child is progressing in class and is competent at reading that is a much better indicator than trying to judge of a list of words and one short block.

And if w child does have problems then I would hope any half way decent teacher would be well aware by this point in the year and not need that one test to tell them!

My son is also autistic and would probably have "failed" the phonics screening check which is why I wish it had been around when he was six rather than wait for his difficulty with phonics to be identified in secondary school.

mrz, ds3 easily could - he'd be bored after 4 or 5 words, and could easily spend the time inventing new words because he would find it funny. I'm frankly amazed they got him to sit still enough and be sensible for 40 words.

Maths questions, he's bored after 2 quick questions, he just can't see the point.

He genuinely never stops for more than a second. But the things he is interested in he is interested to a massively deep level.

He doesn't need to sit still or do all the words at the same time (the teacher could do a word each lesson if they thought it necessary. I did a page (4 words) at a time with a child who has a short attention span.

LilyBolero, are you not worried at all? about his behavior?

irvine, no, he's fine - he isn't 'naughty' as such, just lively and fidgety and short attention span - but he can focus and concentrate when he's engaged - and he's bright and intelligent - and his behaviour improves all the time.

He never ever gets sad or cross or angry or whinges - he's a happy, sunny boy who really should be running around outside a la Finland or Canada, not in a classroom.

I didn't think your ds is naughty.

"just lively and fidgety and short attention span - but he can focus and concentrate when he's engaged - and he's bright and intelligent"

Sound very similar to my ds, and I am/was worried if my ds has some underlying issue, so I just wondered.
But then he has improved so much this year(yr3), so maybe he was just too young to be stuck to the table in the classroom.

yeah, I think ds3 is just too little really, and whilst lots of children might well be ready for focussed education at 4 or 5, he would have really benefited from Canda-style education.

He learns plenty, and is happy, and I'm genuinely not worried - he doesn't have any red flags for anything underlying - interestingly ds1 who was very focussed, very well behaved etc at school , I reckon has dyspraxia.

I'm quite against the idea of imposing an education regime on little children, and then when they don't all fit into the expected mould at the expected age, trying to find some 'reason' why - though of course when there are issues, it is much better to dx earlier. But I think 'too little for school' should really be allowed!!!

The Ontario Kindergarten (full day, play based learning where they're introduced to phonics, writing with an early years curriculum for 4 and 5 year olds with a 1 adult to 15 ratio) sounds an awful lot like reception here. Obviously it's difficult to get an exact experience just as a parent with friends in another country, but there doesn't appear to be any material difference between the two systems.

My family's experience in Canada is vastly different - they didn't do full days till age 6, reading and writing didn't happen till later, it was much more play based, but with an emphasis on french immersion.