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!

Flash cards also won't help with the phonics test as it uses lots of made up words on purpose so a child HAS to decode them.

@Theworldishard - a full OFSTED in the last year? Unusual given COVID - but if you have and phonics was not a cause for concern you are very lucky.

The new reading framework was released July 21 - updated practice needed.

Even common exception words are decoded using what the child already knows, with only part of the word being the 'exception'.
P45.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/1000986/ReadingframeworkTeachingthefoundationsofliteracy-_July-2021.pdf

Time for some CPD at your school @Theworldishard

I taught mine using a mixture of jolly phonics and ReadwriteInc

Jolly phonics phase 2 on YouTube will give you songs to sing and actions for each sound. This is where I started and then moved on the using the ReadWriteInc flash cards to cement the graphemes and phonemes.

Jolly phonics seems to have fallen out of favour in schools but I find the fact they have actions as well as songs really helps children connect to the phonics.

Once they were secure with their phonics, I moved on to CVC words and made match cards with words like “cat” and “dog” and a picture to match it to and started getting them to blend. This took longer but just ten minutes every morning after breakfast made a huge impact.

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken
Unfortunately, so much has changed in the teaching of reading recently that comments on here a really unhelpful.
Mixed strategies are no longer valued. Too much confusion for the child.

Please don't advise unless you have the latest information.

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

Apologies if I missed someone else saying this, but have you had her sight tested? I don't know if in school vision screening was carried out last year, certainly it wasn't in my DDs reception class.

[quote WearsideBridge]@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken
Unfortunately, so much has changed in the teaching of reading recently that comments on here a really unhelpful.
Mixed strategies are no longer valued. Too much confusion for the child.

Please don't advise unless you have the latest information.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/1000986/ReadingframeworkTeachingthefoundationsofliteracy-_July-2021.pdf
[/quote]
Your link doesn’t work.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-reading-framework-teaching-the-foundations-of-literacy

@WearsideBridge

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-reading-framework-teaching-the-foundations-of-literacy

And what have I written that contradicts this?

They need to learn phonics, become secure, use this knowledge to then sound out and blend words…

This.

I taught mine using a mixture of jolly phonics and ReadwriteInc

In the new framework fidelity to one verified programme is seen as essential in not confusing children.

@WearsideBridge

This.

I taught mine using a mixture of jolly phonics and ReadwriteInc

In the new framework fidelity to one verified programme is seen as essential in not confusing children.

That’s not what mixed methods means.

Jolly phonics has songs and actions which help children learn the phonemes.
ReadWriteInc have the graphemes on flash cards which you can use to cement their learning. You can then start putting the sounds together using flash cards to spell out c/a/t for example. Would a picture help?
Jolly Phonics have the same sounds flash cards but are more expensive. They’re exactly the same. They both use phonics to decode and build words.

Please don't advise unless you have the latest information.

How about please don’t advise until you know what mixed methods means…

They are the same except one is about £50 cheaper

How about please don’t advise until you know what mixed methods means…

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

• it is my job.

You are wrong - see pg 45 in the document.

Synthetic phonic programmes have one thing in common: they teach children GPCs, to blend phonemes into spoken words and segment spoken words into phonemes. However, programmes use programme-specific systems and terminology such as actions, mnemonics, prompts, key words and routines to teach knowledge and skills. It is important not to confuse children by mixing material from different programmes or across different classrooms – hence the phrase ‘fidelity to the programme’. For example, one programme might use the term ‘split digraph’, while another might refer to ‘magic e’ for the same vowel GPC in a word such as ‘late’.

@WearsideBridge

How about please don’t advise until you know what mixed methods means…

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

• it is my job.

You are wrong - see pg 45 in the document.

Synthetic phonic programmes have one thing in common: they teach children GPCs, to blend phonemes into spoken words and segment spoken words into phonemes. However, programmes use programme-specific systems and terminology such as actions, mnemonics, prompts, key words and routines to teach knowledge and skills. It is important not to confuse children by mixing material from different programmes or across different classrooms – hence the phrase ‘fidelity to the programme’. For example, one programme might use the term ‘split digraph’, while another might refer to ‘magic e’ for the same vowel GPC in a word such as ‘late’.

They’re cards with letters on! There’s no difference using a “s” flash card from read write inc, than a “s” card from jolly phonics. Or, god forbid, writing a “s” in the interactive whiteboard!

I have a MA in Applied Linguistics. You’re not bamboozling, impressing nor intimidating me with your terminology.

I’m flabbergasted that you think best practice means sticking rigidly to one system. No development or expansion. No literacy games.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken have you seen the DfE guidance for choosing a phonics programme? It talks about fidelity to a single programme and not mixing. It's one of the reasons Letters and Sounds is no longer validated.

"Fidelity to one programme, ie. one spine (or order) of the letters and letter-groups that will be taught (so not mixing RWI and L&S, or SoundsWrite and Jolly Phonics, for instance), approaches to teaching, when tricky words are introduced, etc. This constitutes use of one 'programme'."

Thanks @Norestformrz

I was beginning to doubt myself even though I advise schools including on their phonics curriculum!
I've been beside OFSTED inspectors when they've picked over one incident of a TA suddenly dropping JP into a RWI lesson, or found flashcards in a child's reading wallet.
Creates huge issues for the school, including the judgement for QoE and Leadership and Management.
It is, whether school leaders agree or not, the expected way to teach phonics. They diverge away from it at their peril.

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken The trouble is - and I honestly mean this well - working one-on-one with your own kid on phonics is totally different to teaching a wide range of abilities in a poorly-funded classroom. Teacher know what they’re talking about because phonics becomes massively important when you’re teaching a group of kids who don’t speak English, or who can’t read left-to-right. It’s the very first step in learning not only spoken English but written too.

Get some magnetic letters. Perfect for hands on children. Vital aid for all of mine so far to learn to read. More say the c towards an a, sound out ca, then add in the t, cat. Change the c to a b etc. Play and blend with them.
CVC word matching has been fun here too.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

Phonics is not reading. We all learnt to read without it and we’re doing ok. Can she read?

It's how I was taught to read in the early 80s!