year 1 phonics check

[SmileAndNod]

Does anyone know if this is done in the summer term, or is there no set time for it? Also what exactly is it they check? That they can decode a word rather than read? It was mentioned at the start of the year but nothing since!
Thank you

"If you read with them most days (every day if possible) that's the most helpful thing to their education and as a teacher you can definitely tell which children are read with at home!"

Gizmo, that is one of the most appalling things I've read from a teacher here. Do you have any idea how many parents who HAVE read to their child every day have been told that little gem by their child's school, in order to transfer the blame to the parents? Can you imagine their distress? (I know two personally.)

The fact is there are many children who need explicit phonics teaching in order to learn to read, and how much they have been read to has nothing to do with that.

I can't believe there are still teachers spouting this gubbins, nearly 10 years after the Rose Report.

there are many children who need explicit phonics teaching in order to learn to read

But we don't know how many.

All we do know is that when MM was the predominant method of learning to read some children couldn't learn. Today SP is the predominant method and some children still won't learn. We hope the number is smaller than it was in the days of MM. But as yet, we do not know what the failure rate will be. Some are already predicting failure rates of 0.00000001 percent. But, the truth is, we don't know.

It came to me
Real Books method

Who is using the real books method? (I wish everyone was!)

Maizie
Why don't you just stick to campaigning for spelling reform and stop spouting off your very ill informed anti phonics opinions.

I have asked u many times STOP REPEATING THIS LIE, but to no effect.

I AM NOT ANTI PHONICS - just against the wildly overexaggerated claims by phonics fanatics about the overall value of phonics for learning to read and write English. They are a bit like saying that heavy doses of vitamin C can cure all health problems.

I learned to read and write six languages almost entirely just with phonics, except English. In English, phonics is nowhere near enough, because English spelling often uses letters unphonically. Surplus -e endings for example (are, have, gone), were deliberately added by 16th C printers simply to make words longer, so they could earn more money. But ever since, they have been making it harder to see which words have long vowels (care, gave, bone) and which short (are, have, gone). Such abuses of phonic principles make the use of phonics for teaching children to read and write more limited.

My opinions about English phonics are based on a careful analysis of the irregularities of English spelling and children's struggles to cope with them.

I agree. I think phonics are brilliant. But some of the ludicrous arguments made to support them over anything else are absurd.

My post went missing

My DH was that child back in the 60s and my MIL that mother. His teacher kept saying that he will get it one day, despite MIL continuously going into school to get help. His HM finally admitted dh would never learn to read using Look and Say but her hands were tied. Dh was then given phonics instruction and at the age of 10 finally learnt to read.
It's sad that some teacher attitudes haven't changed since the 60s.
It also wasnt that long ago that Glenys Kinnock was advocating Real Books methods where you surround children with books and they are supposed to absorb reading somehow.

I'm shocked you think my response was depressing. it's even more depressing after you expanded on your answer

It's only depressing for somebody who's banging away at the phonics drum all day. All she's saying is that phonics is just one reading skill among many, the test isn't really all that important and the children are still really young.

Well, she's right and there's nothing particularly depressing about that.

No it isn't all she's saying columngollum ...perhaps you need some lessons in reading accurately?

Oooh, go on then, enlighten me.

Not worth the effort trying to enlighten you columngollum

mrz I'm not sure why you're getting so angry.

As the previous techer mentioned, the phonics screening test is nothing for parents to become over anxious about.

5 year old children are tested to find out how much phonics knowledge they have retained. With all the information going in to their small minds some children will be able to remember quite a bit, and some children will struggle a little more.

This is down to teachers but also parents at home too. Many teachers will tell parents to practice reading with their children as it really helps to practice their phonics, there is an obvious divide between the children who practice at home, and those that don't.

Reading interesting stories also helps to foster a love of reading. The initial books children get are very repetitive to help children learn new words and gain confidence. It's important to balance this out with fun story books shared at home with loved ones.

When first introduced most children weren't passing the phonics test as even the strongest readers were thrown by alien words such as 'gloip', 'chard' because they were trying to make sense of words that werent real and would try to make them real therefore reading the word wrong.

Phonics is still taught up until year 3, so if your child 'fails' the phonics screening it is not indicative of how well they will read and write. They will contine to practice their phonics throughout their school life.

So to summarise, phonics test is not the end of the world, most schools won't even tell you the result as it is only to help teachers realise what needs to be practiced and gone over and which children might need extra help.
Most teachers will agree that testing at this age is uncessary pressure on parents and children, however they will ensure that children don't sense this pressure.

I'm not angry teacher27, just depressed by Gizmo's posts

I've got to say having read through you post I'm even more depressed

What is making you depressed about this? Teacher27 has basically summarised perhaps more eloquently exactly what I was trying to say. I want to understand you point of view.

I think it's depressing that the government is forcing testing on 5 year olds. Sounds like you're a fan of Michael Gove....?

Are you Michael Gove?

The word you keep misusing is PRACTISE, teacher27.

most schools won't even tell you the result as it is only to help teachers realise what needs to be practiced and gone over and which children might need extra help.

Schools have to report the results - this is statutory. And it's 'practised'.

I am delighted the check is in place - it has highlighted the fact that my ds's school does not teach phonics effectively and fails many children, including my ds. This in part triggered an early Ofsted and a Requires Improvement judgement. They will now be made to teach children properly. Result.

Surely if your a decent infant teacher its just a game to the dc not some rigourous test. If teachers were teaching reading effectively then they wouldnt have to have to test to find those that are falling through the net . I get the impression that some of the teachers dont even know the point of it.
Some children who learn by site appear to race ahead but then plateau because they dont have the building bricks to take them further.

I'm a well established poster - and I think you have your definition of trolling mixed up with goodness knows what. I'm extremely interested in the discussion, particularly in correcting misconceptions peddled to parents by posters like yourself and teacher27.

I am following the US convention where pracitice is fine for noun and verb by default of my spell checker but thank you Grammar Nazi