When is the phonics check please?

[EarthboundMisfit]

It must be soon, right? Is there a specific timeframe in which schools have to do it?

Thanks.

At my ds's school, no parents were talking about this. Only thing I knew about it was that they are tested for knowledge of phonics end of yr1, and we just received little note of score saying 40/40, 39/40, or whatever, with end of year report.
I never knew phonic screening was such a massive thing, until I came on to MN. It was a real surprise.

Blimey, I think that DD's school, and me, must be very blasé, as far as I'm aware there's be no preparation for it at all, well, not that I've heard either from school or DD. I knew it was this week, she came out of school today with a 'well done' sticker on her t shirt, I asked why and apparently she had the test today and 'whizzed' through it. That's it.

But I get the impression that apart from year 6 SATS her school couldn't give a fuck about most tests, they don't seem to prepare much or make a deal out of them. I get the feeling they metaphorically flip OFSTED the bird quite often!

First the teacher will introduce the child to the check with a practise sheet one side real words the other side pseudo words. Then the child will read 40 words from a booklet (4 words per page) pseudowords have a picture of an imaginary creature next to them and the teacher tells the child "the words on this page aren't real words ...are silly words ...are the name of the imaginary creatures" [so there us no reason why they should try to make them into real words]. The teacher records whether the child accurately reads the word with a tick in one of two columns so all child knows us they've got 40 ticks.
It's done in a quiet space away from the class

My DD had hers today. She probably wouldn't have mentioned it except she got chocolate after from her teacher for trying her best!

When my eldest did it 2 yrs ago they had a parent meeting/briefing about it which I think upped the anxiety levels of some parents and thereby their children so this year they have been much much more low key about it and the parents were not given any information at all!

I have to say that when I mentioned it today to a group of my friends, all Y1 parents, none of the three had even heard of it. I read too much MN! :-)

I know someone who has tutored their child for it. I really am dreadfully slack.

But seriously, although Dd is doing well, if she didn't pass it why would it be the end of the world, it would just mean she needed a bit more teaching or support on this? Which is fine?

Ive only had one parent "tutor" since the check was introduced (on the advice of her sister ..a teacher)

Like I said above we have had after school classes. The parent must attend and then is then able to practice at home with the child. The children have also done practice tests and children who didn't 'pass' doubly targeted. (Based on 32 that is has been for years)

Utter utter madness. But I guess the school can boast having the best phonic check score in the county, right?

I wouldn't know how to tutor for it!

Can they? I know schools with 100% success and no practise

That's what they say, Mrz and it ain't 100%!

My son had his today and he knew his score. He also knew his score for practising the 2015 paper! We were also given a link to practise for homework. Took about 4 minutes. I don't mind it if it helps identify children who need help.

I think it is an awful idea. I say that as the parent of a child who the school were not going to enter into the test but have changed their mind. He'll fail, I know it, the school know it, and ds knows that phonics is as far as he is concerned, hard.

He can read ok, not great, but at an appropriate level for his age, and would be achieving at old national curriculum levels, but thus year can't because he will fail phonics, (and writing). In both cases due to a disability, we know that, the school know that, we have finally convinced the lea to give him ICT to deal with this, but facing known he was disabled since he was 1, and know he will always need targeted help but can't get it in early years because he is too young this is a waste of our time, his time and his enthusiasm.

I am all for tests, if the teachers don't know where children are struggling, but if they do, and can't get the help they may need anyway due to funding etc... what is the point.

(On last year's test DS got all but 1 of the real words and only 6 alien words, because he contextualises and uses memory so dack becomes duck, fip becomes flip etc, as it wil if a neurological condition means the messaging in visual perception is damaged, the brain rewires to use all clues, not just phonics, and taking the context out is artificial and imo cruel when we don't read in the abstract. Yes phonics is a method, but if there is an issue with neurological deficit it is important to consider all factors, not just that the government wants).

I see what you mean. You don't need a government test to know your child needs extra help. When you consider, too, a lot of children haven't started their formal education in many European countries, it does make you question the test's purpose.

What I meant to say was that phonics itself has sucked the joy out of reading for my ds3 - he is simply bored rigid by the whole rigmarole of learning sounds etc. What would have worked for him imo is getting him inspired by books he wanted to read - he is that sort of character.

When your Y1 child says 'I'm SO BORED in school' then something isn't right, and his school is a fantastic school, he just hates the phonics so much he has switched right off them.

However he has now discovered books at home, and his reading has shot ahead.

That's also down to teaching. There is no reason he can't do both.

Blaming the teachers anytime anyone criticises the phonics test isn't fair.

We have a good reader who won't pass the test. They read by using logic, picture clues, remembering sight words. Their phonics are getting there, they are competent within phase three, they would be better staying solid in phase three and using those sounds to write then gradually building up their phase 5. Obviously they are immersed in phase 5 and now get confused between which sound to use, ai and oi look the same etc.

They won't know they haven't passed, but next year they will notice that they are one of only 2 kids retaking it.

We teach phonics very well, and score well above average. I still disagree with the test.

We have a good reader who won't pass the test. They read by using logic, picture clues, remembering sight words

That's a contradiction.

Please tell me you're not a teacher.

Oh I wish my DD went to a different school when I read these replies. Her teachers are freaking out about this bloody test, they've wound themselves and lots of parents into a frenzy about it.

Whilst DD has never articulated that there will be a test she knows it's important and has worried herself silly since Christmas.

I don't think they're teaching phonics well, we all got to attend phonics classes and there was no actual reading taking place (decipher the little black squiggles and work out what they say) the teacher called out a word and they all recited the sounds (dolphin - d o l f I n anyone?).

It is genuinely sucking the joy out of reading for her and though our lovely head gets it (and said she'd told them to 'forget the bloody test' and enjoy some stories) nothing has changed.

It works for many kids (DS was all over it) but there seems to be no alternative if a child doesn't slot in the box, I think DD might have been better with a whole word approach but that'll never work in the test so it's been beaten out of her and now she can't comfortably do either, sigh...

This rubbish about god readers failing the test just won't give up will it.

Phonics isn't a method for learning to read, it's a key skill that all children need in order to read properly, a bit like counting to 10 is a key skill in maths. Picking out the apparently 'good' readers who don't have those skills is the point of the test. The children that can't blend and can't read 'well' have probably already been identified.

Feenie, they use logic to find the word that would make the best sense, and would naturally follow. They also look at the picture for clues. Plus, they know common words which can don't have to struggle over.

The problem with a whole word approach is that at some pint in order to be able to read and read anything put in front or her she would need to learn phonics and probably to be untaught some f the things she's already been taught.

Whole words and guessing will get you so far with early level texts with limited vocab. If you want fluent, accurate adult readers you need phonics though. There isn't any way round that.

The switch from learning to read to reading to learn is impossible if the only words you can read accurately are ones you've already seen before or are already in your vocabulary so you can guess at them.

So if they are reading a non-fiction text in KS2 and it introduces a new word that isn't in their vocabulary, what is the process for using logic to guess what the word is? Do they just have to ask an adult? Do they still have to ask an adult at KS3/4/5?

I agree Rafals, but there are kids who's reading runs ahead of their phonics as they are using other methods well. The phonics will catch up, just not in time for the test.

Yes, but that's the point of the test. To identify those children whose poor reading skills are masked by apparently fluent reading. That doesn't make them good readers that fail the test though. It makes them weak readers.

They can't be anything but poor readers if they are relying on strategies only used by weaker readers who don't have the core skills needed.

Whoever taught them to use picture clues and guessing has done them a massive disservice tbh. Those are quite difficult strategies to unteach once they are ingrained.