Bit disappointed about the phonics test

[Campaspe]

Have read with DD religiously just about every day, and we've spent plenty of time at home going over phonics. She came home today and told me she struggled with a lot of the words, and the teacher had a list of the ones she got wrong. So, it sounds as if in spite of her best efforts, DD didn't pass the check.

We read every night. We sound out words. She likes books and stories. She knows her sounds really well, but gets muddled when putting them back into words. We've worked together on this, but it just hasn't clicked yet. In class, she reads purple books and her teacher hasn't mentioned any concerns.

I feel disappointed that after all DD's (and mine!) work, it just hasn't clicked yet. What more can I do? Will it just sort itself out? Does it really matter?

No it doesn't matter. Forget about it. You are doing the best you can for dd by reading with her. It will click. The most important thing - for the rest of her LIFE not just this year at school, is that she enjoys reading and associates books with pleasurable things. Not stress.
Have you told her she did her best and you're proud of her? Just forget about this 'test' and read a book she enjoys with her.

The "test" is actually a screening. It highlights which pupils still need help in the specific skill of decoding. I hope your school has a good plan for what they will do with those who need a bit more support.

She came home today and told me she struggled with a lot of the words, and the teacher had a list of the ones she got wrong The teacher is not meant to tell the child what they got right or wrong ...what on earth are they playing at!

and sorry but I disagree with Northerlurker the point of the screening check is to identify those children who will need extra support next year and unfortunately for about a 5th of children it doesn't ever click!

pressed "post too soon"

... Find out what that is, ways in which you can reinforce whatever they do in your activities at home.

Love of books is separate from the specific skill of rapid and accurate decoding. Try not to blur the two for her. And keep reading together.

Jesus Christ, the poor child.

I'd be disappointed if my children came away from a screening check with a sense of failure. It should just have been another activity (for the child). If she hasn't passed i'd ask for a list of sounds she needs to work on and do extra practice on these. She should also get further support in school.
I think what northern was trying to say was it's not a predictor of future life success- just something to work on.

Thanks babies - yes by 'click' I meant that a child with a suppprtive parent and an interest in books is not going to be a child who fails develop her literacy. I think that this 'check' is putting a lot of pressure on parents who actually don't need to know to be put under pressure by it.

I think that this is a conversation you should be having with your DDs teacher. Only she knows exactly how your DD did, the areas she found difficult and what additional support that you and the school might be able to give her if necessary.
Reassure your DD that you are proud she did her best and book an informal chat with her teacher.

I wish that were true Northernlurker

The yr2 kids that I read with today did their phonics test and they did not even know it was a test.

They all came out quite happy, their only worry was that the "test" was being done in the sanction room so they had to check they weren't being sent there because they were in trouble first

mrz - are you trying to freak the OP out now?

No Northernlurker are you trying to perpetuate myths?

She'll have a different teacher next year. Maybe the whole thing will sort itself out.

The point of the screening check it to identify children who might need extra support so that it is "sorted out" rather than leaving it to chance

It's a myth that having engaged and proactive parents who have fostered a love of reading and been supportive of a child's education is a less effective predictor of outcomes than a single episode of decoding sounds aged 6? Yup i'm all about that myth.

I don't underestimate the importance of phonics but I do think the importance of this incident is being massively over-rated.

Things don't sort themselves out but teachers and parents knowing what needs to be worked on have a good chance of sorting it out

Maybe the next year's teacher can tell the difference between a child who can decode and one who can't.

^It's a myth that having engaged and proactive parents who have fostered a love of reading" will guarantee that a child will not struggle with literacy Northernlurker ...I can see you believe

The sun will rise. The results of this test do not go on your child's CV.

Your daughter is not damned by this test. There are lots of facets to learning to read and it is possible to be weak at phonics and have good comprehension. (Like many very bright dyslexic people.)

This test is to ensure that children who are weak in one small area of literacy get the support they need to reach their potential.

Next year's teacher won't have to learnandsay the screening check has identified those children who must be given support (by law)

Only 5 kids passed the yr1 phonics check last year

All of yr2 (bar these 5 kids) took it again today obviously I don't know how they did but they seemed happy, not stressed etc (kids not teachers!)

A friend whose DC is one of the ones who has re-taken it this year says she was told which sounds he struggled with (majority were split vowel sounds I think) which the DC has been working on all year (and not to the test iyswim).

The OPs daughter should not have known she was doing a "test" (especially since it isn't a test) she shouldn't have know if she got the words right or wrong and the teacher should not have sent home useless lists.

Ds1 always struggled with phonics- he had speech and lang difficulties as a pre -schooler- and struggled with phonics. However, he has a v good memory so this hid a lot of his difficulties until it was too late. he is 8 now and , though he reads well still struggles when faced with an unknown word and his spelling is dire.

Had his poor phonological awareness been picked up earlier, things may be better, so I think the poor phonics check your dd has, may actually help!!

( Of course she may have scored full marks and just be a worrier!)

Have you got shares in Jolly Phonics now mrz?

The op is stressed. Most likely completely without need and you are intent on predicting mis-spelled doom. Or dom.

You do realise that the world is full ofrather a lot of people who managed to learn to read and write without phonics don't you? Or is that a myth as well?

Our children's literacy should be everybody's concern but phonics are not a magic bullet nor should undue emphasis be placed on this.

Thanks for your comments everyone. I should stress that DD has not been told the outcome, but told me she found it tricky, and told me some of the words she had problems with. She isn't worried, and I know she tried her best, and you can't ask for more. I just feel a bit sad that we did everything the school asked, and yet I can tell she just can't put words together easily. We love sharing books, but it hasn't been enough to make her a good decoder of strange words. Bizarrely, she can read pretty well, so I guess she must memorise, or infer from context. She is on ORT 9.

I will ask her teacher for advice at parents evening next week.