Why would school do this and should I have been informed ?

[Cokeaholic]

I have just discovered that ds, who has just finished reception class, was called up to the teacher and put through the "phonics test" sometime before the end of term.

It was not referred to in the end of year school report.

Why did they do it and wouldn't you think they'd mention the results in the report ?

Doesn't this mean that in year 1 when everyone else is doing it for the first time, ds will be out of line with the rest of the class by having already seen it and had a trial run ?

Are there any teachers out there, or other parents, who could help me understand the possible reason for this. It will all be water under the bridge when September comes round so I don't really want to ask school about it and get a reputation for questioning their ways of doing things.

Are you sure it was the Phonics Screening test? School's assess phonics all the time, it could have been anything. How do you know about it?

As long as they didn't correct him/tell him the answers I doubt it will make any difference.

We did the old "reading age" test (5-6 words a line) twice a year through primary. Occasionally I used to think "oh yes, I didn't know that one last time either" but as they didn't tell you I was none the wiser. My dm used to crease up on my dsis doing it because she got one word wrong (conscious, I think) which she used in regular conversation.

It's just everyday normal teacher assessment - it happens all the time. That's how we know what your child can do and what to teach next. In terms of phonics, we assess progress every term in my school - some would assess every half term.

I know about it as I was internet browsing, followed a link to the phonics test with made up words having a coloured monster picture next to them and ds came over to see if I was on angry birds. He saw the word/picture thingy and told me that Mrs X (year 1 teacher) came in to the reception class room and he was called to sit with her and read lots of words some of which had monster pictures like he had just seen on my screen.

He has an eagle eye for detail and the memory of an elephant (particularly when it comes to promises of future treats !) so I'm fairly sure he recognises what he saw on screen.

Feenie's explanation seem feasible as that would explain the year 1 teacher being interested in what level he is at. He and a couple of others in the class are reading at KS2 level already but he says Mrs X only stayed to do the phonics thing with him and them went back to her classroom.

"and then went back to her classroom"

1. He won't remember the words in 12 months time anyway, even if he recognises the pictures.

2. What Feenie said.

And as for her explanation being "feasible", the year 1 teacher isn't "interested in what level he is at", it is her job to know!

Part of the Letters and Sounds assessment suggestions involved children sorting real from not-real words and reading lists of words to see if they can read decodable and tricky words. It's part of the job. She's just chosen to use the words the gov have already compiled for the screening test rather than make up her own/look on Sparklebox.

The test used next June will be new. Sounds like they used this screening as end of year assessment for your ds - a little strange that they don't have their own though.

Please don't use Sparklebox (or visit the site) as it generates income for a twice convicted paedophile

Like Feenie I'm surprised they've used the Y1 check and didn't have their own more detailed assessment to use with every child.

The actual Y1 check isn't available on line (without a DfE password) so what you were looking at isn't the words used for Y1 this year and there will be different words used each year

I missed that - God no, please don't use Sparklebox.

I assumed all teachers stayed away from sparklebox by now as the owner's past has been well publicised and as Mrz says twice convicted so not exactly having shown himself to be reformed by the system.

It sounds very sensible not to to publish the actual Y1 phonics check online as pushy parents would be accessing it and testing their own little darlings with potentially unimaginably dire consequences for the parent/school relationship.

I guess I ended up on a sample site or something similar.

It sounds like the reception/Y1 teachers were possibly setting a baseline for ds's ability ready for next year and just decided to use the phonics test basis for it. Given that no-one but me has written in ds's reading record all year as having heard him read, perhaps they decided to have a quick check one way or another.

I assumed all teachers stayed away from sparklebox by now as the owner's past has been well publicised and as Mrz says twice convicted so not exactly having shown himself to be reformed by the system.

You would be amazed - there was a TES thread about using it only today!

Didn't mean to cause a SB controversy! I assumed everyone knew not to touch Sparklebox.

Not all schools stay away though. SB is still in some classrooms. Some have blacked out the name others haven't even bothered doing that.

Just suggesting that the teachers might have used the phonics screening words to see how your child would have fared, had he been yr1 and eligible to take it if, as you say, he is already reading KS2 books.

It will have been part of his end of term assessments.

No not all schools/teachers stay away from SB. Some genuinely don't know, some believe that Samuel Kinge is no longer connected and others just don't care that they are supporting a twice convicted paedophile as long as they can download resources without any cost to themselves.

I told our year 1 teacher about the sparkle box pedophile connection, felt awkward bringing it up at parents evening, but she was really shocked and had not heard about it, said thanks for letting her know. (has reduced sparkle box work sheets coming home but still one or two have crept through, I can't face writing a letter to the head though...)

Folkgirl, I'm assuming that he reads at KS2 level as on book change days he has to go to see the year 3 "book changing lady". (He has ORT stage 9 books atm).

My dd's school uses Sparklebox quite a lot. I know about the site, but haven't been able to face bringing it up for various reasons (the main one being that I've been really happy with her teacher and TA and don't want to 'criticise'.)

I think I will next year, though.

Plenty of good stuff on twinkl for those who abhor Sparklebox.

Cokeaholic - I wouldn't say stage 9 is average yr 3 level btw, more like end of yr 1 in my experience. DD1 is going into yr 3 in September and her school books are things like Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton, Michael Morpurgo etc....

It sounds like they were just using the check as part of their assessment process. WOuldn't be a big issue to me.

www.readingchest.co.uk/book-bands this shows how the levels roughly translate so ORT stage 9 is towards the end of Y2 however I think this is more expected levels rather than average or true to life TBH. i don't think book levels/bands directly relate to KS1 or 2 as I think it is the comprehension etc that means they would be levelled as 1a/b/c 2a/b/c rather than the book they are reading. Often the comprehension and reading ability varies quite a lot in a child.

I can't really see an issue in using the phonics check on younger children if done in the right way and no pressure is put on the child, any way to assess them in order to give them appropriate work is good IMO. DS1 was doing SATs papers in Y1 but never knew he was doing them.

Apologies, to those who have challenged it, for my broadbrush approach to describing ds's reading level as KS2 level . KS2 cover years 3-6 which is ages 7-11. I wasn't saying he reads at the top or even the middle of KS2 levels.

At parent's evening in April his teacher said she put his reading age at approximately age 8. I know this has nothing to do with comprehension etc.

ORT chart shows stage 9 as being roughly ages 7-8 and one assumes it's all based on averages. It's the only other approximate guide I have as we mostly read other stuff at home like Enid Blyton and Allan Ahlberg etc, with topics/storylines appropriate for his age (5) but with no indication as to reading level.

I don't have healpful sibling comparisons as ds1 was what the school called a "free reader" in year 1. I took it to mean "free" from Biff Chip et al ! The "phonics check" wasn't around either in those days.

Being free from Biff, Chip et al is indeed a kind of freedom!

Regardless of what KS he is at, he is doing really well for his age and I really wouldn't worry, doing extra stuff like the phonics check is probably good for both him and the teachers!!!