Year 1 phonics screen

[Mumofsend]

My DD is in year. Has complex SEN albeit no learning difficulties. She us working on phase 2 phonics but can't yet blend or segment. Apparantly her class are due to start phase 5 after half term.

Is she likely to pass the phonics screen? Can I withdraw her from it?

It's a screening, not an exam, and identifies those DC who need additional support. As it sounds like you would want your DD to get extra support, thus is one way of identifying the need (in a formal sort of way).

You should not withdraw her (I'm not even sure parents can) but it would be worth talking to her teacher about her needs, what they are already doing and what they plan for the rest of this term

I used to teach Year 1. You really don't need to worry about the screening.

Children are asked to blend and read words to their class teacher. These are a mixture of real and nonsense words. It's the kind of activity that they do in phonics sessions every day.

It's done individually but teachers generally ask children to do this throughout the year anyway so it won't seem new or strange.

I must have carried out the screening with hundreds of children and I can honestly say that although it's an anxious time for teachers (we are always under pressure to improve results) I have never had a child who was stressed or worried during the screening. We don't call it a test, are relentlessly positive and encouraging, and children just see it as fairly normal classroom practice and a chance to show off how clever they are (even when they are really struggling with their phonics).

Most years, when I do the screen , I have parents asking me why their child hasn’t done it, when Freddie from over the road has. It’s that low key, honestly.

And if a child is getting upset because they’re struggling, I leave the screen there.

Get on letters and sounds for phonics games

Or try the Oxford owl app for books and games

You can help!

The screen is for teachers not children to determine where they are and what they need it’s not a pass or fail situation

As others say, it's a screening not a test to identify children who aren't secure in phonics by the end of Y1, so that they can be appropriately supported in Y2.

Don't worry about the screening. Focus on next steps for your dd and what you can do to support.

The actual screening is 5 minutes with a teacher that they know. Neither of mine realised that they'd done it.

She can't blend words at all. Not even simple CVC ones. I got a letter about her being selected for phase 3 and 4 additional support with a note on from her teacher that she isn't actually there at all yet with phase 2. She can recognise most of phase 2 individually apart from I think 5 of the sounds. She sees b/d/p as all being 'b'. And she doesn't know k or ck.

I didn't realise how low key it is! I've already accepted she won't pass so it seems a bit futile. She gets lots of phonics input but she doesn't seem to be clicking

Go on the letters and sounds stage 2 and print them off

Put 3 by the door as a password and she has to touch them to leave the room

Have them up in the hall with pictures

Op I'd try other ways t help her read, phonics is after all about reading.

Flash cards of the 1st 100 high frequency words.

Hfw.

Then go back to basics like Peter and Jane books. Here is Peter. Here is Jane.
Here is the dog.

Peter likes Jane. Jane likes Peter.
They like the dog.

Build up that way. Phonics unfortunately had become a sort of cult and actually many children do. Not. Get. It.

Get physical letters for her to touch and see and help her with her alphabet.

My dd failed the phonics test and in year 3 now I reckon she'd still fail it but she's gone up several reading levels over lock down. She didn't get phonics.

We restarted her with flash cards, Peter and Jane etc.
There joined reading chest and get books sent out to me.

My daughter is in Year 2 and is about to take it after missing it in Lockdown is year 1

She is boarderline to pass/fail and is bringing extra phonics homework home to try and aid her.

It is about identifying children who may need extra support. I wouldn't worry about it. It can be helpful to identify if more work is needed around particular sounds if many children get the same sounds wrong.