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Original poster

How do I help my daughter prepare for the yr 1 phonics check?

243 replies

Churmy123 · 30/04/2013 14:00

Hi
My dd is 5 (6 at the end of July) and is in year 1. She enjoys school, is well behaved and as far as I know doing well and progressing as she should be. The feedback from her teacher has always been positive. At the last parents evening I was told that she has a flair for creative writing and her writing skills and handwriting are at a year 3/4 level. She also said my dd was one of the 'better' readers and in on turqoise books. At home she is currently confidently reading Enid Blytons Famous Five books. Yesterday after school the teacher called me in to discuss my dds phonics skills. They had done a 'mock' test (last years test I believe) and my dd had only scored 29 out of 40 (32 being the 'pass' mark). She asked if I could do some extra work with my dd at home to try and get her up to the 32 mark before the 'test' in June. She gave me some sheets with words on to work through with my dd and also recommended the 'phonics play' website. We did some of this at home last night and my dd appeared to find it easy and didn't struggle with any of the words. Do I just continue doing this at home? Or could it be that she was having an 'off' day on the day of the 'mock' check? Or is it the 'alien' words that are confusing her? I'm a little confused!!!

Thanks. x

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daftdame · 02/05/2013 20:40

Of course the expected standards could be off... Are they average or expected?

christinarossetti · 02/05/2013 20:56

Which is why schools being candid about the overall results of the phonic screening would help. If there are lots of children not reaching the expected level, then the cause is so much more likely to be poor phonics teaching rather than individual children.

Feenie · 02/05/2013 21:24

My ds's school sent out the most extraordinary letter with the news that he had not reached the 32 mark. It was very defensive, and stated that phonics was 'only' a very small part of reading.

I happen to know that only 40% passed - not surprising for a school who chooses to teach phonics only 3 times a week. Hmm

Eachpeachpearwherestheplum · 02/05/2013 21:39

Shocked the teacher claims she is a Level 3 and can't pass a phonics test?!

learnandsay · 02/05/2013 21:45

Well, we'll see what happens to schools who teach phonics badly and if nothing happens to them they'll keep on doing it badly. It'll be interesting to see in later years the exam results of the schools who do it badly. Our school's head has a very laissez faire attitude to phonics but the school has some of the best, if not the best, results in the area.

simpson · 02/05/2013 21:58

I am still LOLing at Head Teachers being hit by an ORT catalogue Grin

My DC school did very badly in the phonics check last year (not surprisingly the HT is anti the test). However the phonics teaching so far (DD is in reception) seems very good and they have spent money on new phonics based books.

But what would happen to a child who for whatever reason, the teacher knows is going to fail the test? Do they still have to take it?

I do agree with mrz in that kids love 121 time. I read with yr1 kids and they are all desperate to read to me, even the ones who can't read...

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:12

Simpson I think loving 121 time depends on who it is with!

I hated 121 time with my dreaded reception teacher. (I froze when reading to her) Although it only happened once....so the feeling was probably mutual. My DC loves some teachers / TAs and is less ...ahem...fond of others.

Of course the school would like to think all is jolly - in public anyway.

simpson · 02/05/2013 22:19

Daft dame - that is true. DS (now yr3) last year in yr2 had 2 job share teachers. One assessed him at stage 11and one assessed him at stage 6, guess which one he preferred! Grin

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:25

Wow...scarily advanced.

simpson · 02/05/2013 22:39

Well this was in yr2 so I don't think it was that ahead but I was Shock at the difference in the assessments.

One teacher he loved, the other he was scared shitless of (who is now in reception with DD - whole different thread!!)

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:42

Sorry I thought you were talking about levels! Grin Do you mean ORT?

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:46

Yes, about the huge range...my DC has been all over the various reading schemes they have had at his school. I have ended up telling him to ask the teacher himself if he can move up, when he is not impressed with the books in one section. He is allowed to read anything age appropriate at home, can and does.

DoctorAnge · 02/05/2013 22:47

This is a really interesting thread.

It has come at an evening where I have been told by the teacher that DD yr1 has difficulty with phonics. I was confused as she reads v well but I know that she makes weird mistakes on what her teacher called the basic words. Perhaps she hasn't grasped the concept completely or learns in a more visual way.
So she spelled Take as Taike in one test but when I asked her she spelt it out correctly to me. I am pretty Confused at the whole thing. She is at an independent school so doesn't have this test but I kind of wish she did.

Teacher told me to try writing a word out 3 times and getting her to circle the correct one...

I may do this test with her - is it a reading or spelling test?

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:52

Reading, DoctorAnge.k

daftdame · 02/05/2013 22:54

The k wasn't meant - iPad.

learnandsay · 02/05/2013 23:02

doctorange (cbeebies strikes again)

Here you go. Here's the test

www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Phonics-Screening-Check-Words-6171845/

simpson · 02/05/2013 23:11

Yep ORT Smile

Levels wise one teacher said he was a 3 the other a 1a...

DoctorAnge · 02/05/2013 23:19

Thanks :)

mrz · 03/05/2013 07:34

"Of course the expected standards could be off... Are they average or expected?"

The expected standard for the check last year was 32/40 ... 31 and you haven't met expectations 32 or more and you have all very simple really

learnandsay · 03/05/2013 07:42

Or so it would appear. The implication is that a child has reached the standard by being taught to decode, (not be being coached to pass the test.) So you could score 32 and higher and still not have reached the standard.

daftdame · 03/05/2013 07:43

mrz Do you know what the average results were for UK state schools?

lougle · 03/05/2013 08:05

simpson I was told that DD1 (special school) would take the test last year, because school were led to believe that as long as the child had done the phase 1 phonics (s a t p i n) they would be able to do the test.

They opened the test, realised it was in no way attainable, and disapplied the whole cohort. There were only around 4 out of the 20 year 1's that were going to attempt it anyway.

As far as I know, if a child is disapplied, they don't have to take it in future. Whereas, if a child takes it and fails, they have to retake it each year until they pass. Mrz will know more, I'm sure.

maizieD · 03/05/2013 11:10

because school were led to believe that as long as the child had done the phase 1 phonics (s a t p i n) they would be able to do the test.

Either you have been misinformed by the school or the school is woefully ignorant of how the Phonics Check is constructed. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter is true as, with honourable exceptions, it seems to me that teachers, including HTs, work by word of mouth and rumour rather than going to original documents.

The test was constructed by looking at 5 SP programmes in common use and using items common to all of them which would have been taught by the time in Y1 when the check is taken. If a school is using Letters and Sounds that would, I think, be at least phase 4.

The details of how the Cherck was constructed can be found in the technical report on the Pilot Check.

The report can be found on this page, along with lots of other information about the Check:

www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/assessment/keystage1/a00200415/phonics

maizieD · 03/05/2013 11:11

Arrgh 'check'. Please proof read before postingAngry

mrz · 03/05/2013 19:21

Can I just say phase 1 of Letters & Sounds doesn't teach any sounds.

The phonics check assess sounds taught in phases 2-5

All children in Year 1 in the school year 2012/13 must take the check, unless they have no understanding of grapheme-phoneme correspondences.

Disapplying a child from the check
The headteacher may decide that a child should not participate in the check and should, therefore, be disapplied. There is no formal process to follow to do this. The child should be recorded as ?D? (child did not take the phonics screening check) when reporting results to the local authority (see section 5.5). Any Year 1 children who are disapplied in 2013 should be reconsidered for the check in 2014.