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

I find it depressing that 2 individuals claiming to be teachers are so ill informed - do either of you teach Y1?

I sincerely hope you don't teach that rule in the UK.

Sight not site

Are you teaching in the US teacher27?

I find it depressing that it's 7 o clock in the evening, you evidently have young children, why aren't you reading with them?

Don't be depressed on my account my children are old enough to read without me

Mrz doesn't have young children and my 8 year old is reading with his Dad. Not really depressing though, is it, just a daft thing to say when you haven't really got an answer to why you are making erroneous sweeping statements like most schools don't even bother reporting results, when legally they have no choice at all in the matter.

Some parents wouldn't be interested in the results of the check which is what happened in my school. If they are confident in their teacher/ schools abilities and expertise and felt that they supported their child at home why would they feel the need to know the results. Some children pass and some fail. That's the story of life ultimately. Just sad that you seem hell bent on ensuring some children can feel like they have failed so early in life.

In some schools every child passes and in others some schools fail the child

and then make excuses about children being tricked

Why would children think they had 'failed'? Who would be stupid enough to say that?

The issue was not whether schools should report or whether parents are interested - there is no choice, and schools have to report both the score and WA (working at) or WT(working towards).

Why do you think children are told instead that they are 'failing'?

Is that what you tell the children in your school? That's awful.

I think you're forgetting to take into account more deprived areas, EAL and SEN. Some schools will have a large amount of children failing, not due to poor teaching, but due to a large intake of children with a lower starting point (ie: their parents are illiterate or disinterested) or children where English is an additional language.

In those schools it is unreasonable to think that there will be a 100% pass rate.

Nope, not forgetting them at all - we have a high proportion of pupil premium and EAL. Our children start school on average well below expectations. The vast majority of our children reach the required standard of the check.

It's only unreasonable if your expectations are low.

Well your school must be lucky enough to have the extra resources and man power for intervention that other schools don't.

From TES:

"This year 69 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard, compared to 58 per cent last year. Children who don’t pass the test have to take it again the following year."

Schools in deprived areas with high levels of EAL are achieving 100% pass rates

Are you really a teacher?

Schools don't need as many interventions if the phonics teaching is good in the first place.

Yes, a teacher with high levels of SEN

^I think you're forgetting to take into account more deprived areas, EAL and SEN. Some schools will have a large amount of children failing, not due to poor teaching, but due to a large intake of children with a lower starting point (ie: their parents are illiterate or disinterested) or children where English is an additional language.

In those schools it is unreasonable to think that there will be a 100% pass rate.^

The statement above is a bit of a straw man isn't it?

The debate on this thread hasn't really been about these children has it? The debate on this thread has been about the supposed 'good' readers who don't reach the required score because they are not secure enough in their phonics due to having been taught to try to guess words and other strategies. The ones who apparently have been taught to think they will know every word they ever come across and hence instead of suing phonics for the Alien words decide to guess them into a different word instead.

I stand by what Mrz states. If a child is really a good reader they should be able to 'pass' the phonics test. If they can't reach the required score then they need more help to improve their phonics knowledge and use.

No one should be telling the children they have passed or failed. No one should be putting pressure on the children. Children generally love having 1-1 time and attention which they will get doing the test. It isn't something to get worked up about.

But I thank God/Gove that the school DD2 attends takes phonics seriously.

So?

Again, low expectations.

And many excuses to go with them.

I expect my SEN pupils to be taught to read accurately SEN isn't an excuse

"If a child is really a good reader they should pass the pass the screening" we'll have you considered passing the check does not make them a good reader. Good readers must also be able to have a certain level of comprehension that phonics has little to do with. I think you are placing to much emphasis on the importance of phonics and making assumptions that it makes your child a good reader.