Phonics mock - please help!

[KevinTheKoala]

My year 1 child had her phonics mock test today, she scored 1. 1 out of 40, the average for this stage is 20 and she only scored 1. I read to her every single night, have done since she was a baby, I read through her school books, she plays phonics games like teach my monster to read, we practice at home I don't know what more I can do and just feel like I'm failing her. Her behaviour isn't great and I've been trying to talk to her teachers about this but not getting much feedback at the moment, last year I was told 'wait and see she might just not be ready for school yet' (she's one of the eldest in the class!) and this year it's 'give her a chance to settle in' which are sensible options I know but when her behaviour is the same at home and things clearly are not improving how long do we have to wait and see for? How much further behind will she fall before finally someone realises and then she can't catch up!

@KevinTheKoala

I did bring up my concerns last year, I was told that they would give her a settling in period until November and if there were no improvements then we could discuss further intervention but do you think it would be worth bringing it up earlier then? November still seems like it's a while off and I'd rather she had the support as early as possible.

I would definitely speak to them. But I’d say they’ve also tested her to get a measure of what level she’s at and how to progress, so they should have a plan in place for her. Definitely speak to them about it though, they’ll have a much better idea of what she needs to work on than anyone on here.

@KevinTheKoala

I did bring up my concerns last year, I was told that they would give her a settling in period until November and if there were no improvements then we could discuss further intervention but do you think it would be worth bringing it up earlier then? November still seems like it's a while off and I'd rather she had the support as early as possible.

Definitely speak to them before. Explain what a struggle it is with reading at home - I hope they will advise to read for much shorter bursts and perhaps revise what book she has if she is struggling with blending a considerable percentage of words in the book.

Ask them for strategies to help with blending. Some ideas: You can sound out words for her after she has sounded them out to see if she can then blend after hearing the word sounded out. You can try to sound out really quickly (just say each sound, one after the other, quickly) or slowly (snail talk - elongate each sound and let them run into each other) but make sure you don’t leave a pause between each sound with either strategy so she can hear how they blend together. If she can’t blend a word herself, it will be helpful for her to hear the word being sounded out by you. Hearing blends will come before being able to blend independently.

Picking out some words from the book she is about to read and asking her to sound out and blend them before reading the text might also be helpful. Look at the 2-3 pages you are asking her to read, write some of the words on a post it note, or something, get her to sound out and blend, with you repeating sounding out if needed.

Coffeetopup "The test isn’t a diagnostic tool for teachers. "

It most certainly is if used properly. Unfortunately many don't look beyond the raw scores. The check will tell you which sounds the child knows and reveal any gaps and it will identify which word structures the child can decode ( cvc is the easiest, many children struggle once they meet adjacent consonants - stop/ jump and many more struggle with words of more than one syllable ) . Used as a diagnostic check and not simply a score it will provide guidance for any intervention.

@KevinTheKoala

I did bring up my concerns last year, I was told that they would give her a settling in period until November and if there were no improvements then we could discuss further intervention but do you think it would be worth bringing it up earlier then? November still seems like it's a while off and I'd rather she had the support as early as possible.

Don't be put off with promises of settling in periods and future investigation.

I would do five things:

1. Work myself for short bursts of time with the programme recommended upthread. Create a reward system and shamelessly bribe. You need to see if this is something she can choose to do. If she can't, reward for five minutes of focus, not achievement.
2. Keep communication open with the school and pressure on. Make sure she's sitting near a classroom assistant and try to get an action plan.
3. Buy the Mrs Wordsmith phonics game and play the easy level frequently.
4. Get set up with weekly online tutoring sessions with a teacher who also specialises in dyslexia. You can find them though dyslexia charities or Facebook groups. Explain your concerns. They will probably advise you to press after with a private assessment if they think it's necessary and can start some interventions informally if they're appropriate.
5. Stay relaxed. This is not the end of the world. Just be pushy, proactive and calm. Don't get worried, get busy.

ahead

@Norestformrz

Coffeetopup "The test isn’t a diagnostic tool for teachers. "

It most certainly is if used properly. Unfortunately many don't look beyond the raw scores. The check will tell you which sounds the child knows and reveal any gaps and it will identify which word structures the child can decode ( cvc is the easiest, many children struggle once they meet adjacent consonants - stop/ jump and many more struggle with words of more than one syllable ) . Used as a diagnostic check and not simply a score it will provide guidance for any intervention.

You’re right, it can be used to identify gaps but I would expect to have identified those gaps and any areas children need support with before they take the test in June and to have been working with children on those things through the year. Surely we should be assessing as we go along, taking note during phonics lessons and when reading and writing with children (as well as doing regular phase assessments) so we know where they’re at and what they need. I already know which children in my class struggle with adjacent consonants at the start or end of words, or both. I know which children struggle with multi-syllable words. I adapt my whole class teaching/ intervention groups etc. accordingly to work on those things. I don’t expect to be surprised in June.

So you'd spot one child who can't recall that the spelling represents the sounds /j/ /uːə/ in the word fuel? Daily teaching gives us a reasonable overview but not a detailed breakdown. That's why Ed Psychs use a similar assessment to the PSC when identifying reading issues and why the method is used in dyslexia screening tools.

Do you mean one might not spot a single child doesn’t know a particular GPC in a daily whole class phonics lesson, or that the phonics screen in June would give one the opportunity to make that assessment?

Perhaps a teacher might miss a gap in whole class teaching, but there would be opportunities to spot a particular gap in an end of phase assessment or when a child couldn’t recognise it in a text, or couldn’t identify it on a sound mat when trying to write a word.

The screen may help with identifying gaps but I would hope pupils’ strengths and weaknesses would already be on the radar for teachers. Good phonics teaching should include constant assessment, review and revision. Support should be put in place as and when children need it. Sure, maybe one are two things might pop up following the screening which can then be acted on, but I would hope most teachers won’t be hugely surprised by any gaps for the majority of children in their class. They shouldn’t just be blindly teaching content with no idea of children’s knowledge, retention and progress until June when they use the test to identify gaps they’ve not noticed before hand.

Certainly, if gaps are evident now, the phonics screening in June is irrelevant. The OPs child has gaps and finds blending difficult. The child’s teacher needs to put things in place now.

@CoffeeTopUp

The screen may help with identifying gaps but I would hope pupils’ strengths and weaknesses would already be on the radar for teachers. Good phonics teaching should include constant assessment, review and revision. Support should be put in place as and when children need it. Sure, maybe one are two things might pop up following the screening which can then be acted on, but I would hope most teachers won’t be hugely surprised by any gaps for the majority of children in their class. They shouldn’t just be blindly teaching content with no idea of children’s knowledge, retention and progress until June when they use the test to identify gaps they’ve not noticed before hand.

Certainly, if gaps are evident now, the phonics screening in June is irrelevant. The OPs child has gaps and finds blending difficult. The child’s teacher needs to put things in place now.

I said the screening check can be used as a diagnostic tool to identify specific gaps. I would hope teachers would pick up on weaknesses but the fact that some still insist so called "good readers" are tricked by pseudo words suggests some don't.

No actually you said that the PSC isn't a diagnostic tool.

I'm concerned that she is reading 'Biff and Chip' books - are you sure the school is up to speed with current practice.

They should not be sending books home that she can't read either.

I'm not sure if it helps, it is very detailed but there is new reading framework released by the DfE in July. From the things you've said, the school don't know what they are doing. In the same light I would resist adding in any other schemes or activities. Phonics teaching is best done with fidelity to one approach.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/1000986/ReadinggframeworkTeachinggthefoundationssofliteracyy-_July-2021.pdf

Schools are guided to not carry out 'phonic mocs'. They serve little purpose. They only show what a child couldn't do on that particular paper not the full range of gaps from the phonics teaching programme.
I think there is an issue with the school, very confused approach to phonics which isn't helping your daughter at all.

I agree both the books and the so called "mock" PSC would concern me.

Hi OP I work in a school doing maths and phonics interventions.
What phase phonics was the test for?

You’re right, Noreatformrz, I did say that. I was being simplistic in trying to make a point about how, by that point in the year, a teacher should really know specific gaps in phonic knowledge and specific strengths and weaknesses such as adjacent consonants or multi-syllable words. They certainly shouldn’t be waiting until June to identify areas of need that are obvious in September. I think, with proper teaching and assessment, teachers should have identified those specific gaps already. Teaching blindly and waiting for the PSC to identify gaps would be poor teaching.

I think we could quite easily get by without the PSC which I think is designed more for accountability than as a diagnostic tool considering we already have systems in place for tracking progress and assessing learning in phonics. Yes, it can be used as a diagnostic tool (I was incorrect to say otherwise) - but it might not provide any new information if you are already effectively and accurately assessing your children and providing them with the teaching and support they need to make progress.

30 minutes is too long for a 5 year old if she's struggling. It turns reading into a task rather than an enjoyable activity.
When she's reading ask her to keep her finger under the word she's reading so she's doing the pointing, not you.
And no matter how her reading actually is tell her it's "very good". It's the effort you're praising because that's whst's important.
Don't stop reading her bedtime stories.

As teachers isn't it our job to make the best of what the DfE throw at us and using the PSC for the purpose it was originally intended rather than falling into the trap of reducing children to mere numbers.
The value of the PSC is that it revealed the number of schools and teachers who were clinging to mixed methods and weren't aware that some of their pupils couldn't decode simple words. It's unfortunate that OFSTED and some LA advisors use the results for number crunching

Have a look at dyslexia

Lack of focus, more into physical games, I assume her grasp of time is lacking? And I don’t mean telling the time! Easily distracted and day dreaming?

That’s before reading and spelling ability

Worth a look as there are lots of programmed to help!

If she likes her tablet have a look at the oxford owl website and sign up for the free books.

If the OP is referring to the standard phonics test for the sats etc, reading etc is good , but what will work best is flashcards.
I work 1:1 with children and in an afternoon I can take out 20 children one at a time and the goal is to spend less than five minutes. I have a timer. Any more than that is too much. I have a set of phase 2 to 5 cards and when you simply show them the card and they say what's on it and repeat this dsily, it falls into place.

but what will work best is flashcards

Nooooo - that will just confuse and is not in line with the consistent teaching of phonics. Too many different reading strategies just confuse.
Using flashcards in a school would seriously impact on the quality of education offered ( and OFSTED would see this as a serious issue).

Please read the linked Reading Framework below.

@WearsideBridge

but what will work best is flashcards

Nooooo - that will just confuse and is not in line with the consistent teaching of phonics. Too many different reading strategies just confuse.
Using flashcards in a school would seriously impact on the quality of education offered ( and OFSTED would see this as a serious issue).

Please read the linked Reading Framework below.

Sorry?

How do you get a child to learn them if they don't take home the sounds on cards to practice?

@WearsideBridge

but what will work best is flashcards

Nooooo - that will just confuse and is not in line with the consistent teaching of phonics. Too many different reading strategies just confuse.
Using flashcards in a school would seriously impact on the quality of education offered ( and OFSTED would see this as a serious issue).

Please read the linked Reading Framework below.

We have had Ofsted, being a school , they observed our phonics interventions and they were praised. I'm really not sure what you are on about.

@Theworldishard

If the OP is referring to the standard phonics test for the sats etc, reading etc is good , but what will work best is flashcards. I work 1:1 with children and in an afternoon I can take out 20 children one at a time and the goal is to spend less than five minutes. I have a timer. Any more than that is too much. I have a set of phase 2 to 5 cards and when you simply show them the card and they say what's on it and repeat this dsily, it falls into place.

This isn’t good advice, thats not learning phonics - it’s learning shapes of words. Valuable on its own once the sounds have been established to familiarise words, but not as a replacement for phonics.