Phonics Test - Year 1 (DD likely dyslexic)

[OneMellowLemonExpert]

I have 6 year old twins.

DT1 absolutely smashing school, good at everything.

DT2 is on the path for being tested for dyslexia. Highly likely at this stage but understand cannot be formally tested until they are 7.

The 2nd week in June they are having a phonics test. There has been many emails, texts home from teachers with links to practice.

DT2 has been sent home with flashcards to "practice every single day". I feel so bad for her, she gets very upset at the thought of doing it, but she does her best and remembers the rhymes to each sounds and understands what a split diagraph is 😂

I just feel so uncomfortable with the level of pressure they are putting on a 6 year old. If it was just DT1 I probably wouldn't think twice about it, but with DT2 struggling so much my heart hurts for her.

anyone else's child with diagnosed or undiagnosed dyslexia found this?

Not what you were asking, but spreading it over several days isn’t allowed. Rest breaks are permitted but the check should be completed in one day. The child should be kept under “check conditions” and not be in contact with pupils who have taken the check (because all six year olds will be experts at cheating and tell their little friends what the words were 🙄). Guidance here under rest breaks

But what everyone else has said - if she needs extra support, better that she doesn’t pass the check and gets the help next year. Stress won’t help her, poor thing. And YY to using sound buttons.

@OneMellowLemonExpert Sound Foundations do the Dancing Bears series of workbooks, which are specifically designed to get dyslexic children reading fluently: https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/about-sound-foundations/

Additionally, it is worth gamifying learning to read to take the pressure off. Fast phonics: https://readingeggs.co.uk/fast-phonics-games/ is great fun and helps children learn to read well (ignore the reading eggs section though, that isn't helpful),. DuolingoABC also teaches belinding and phonics really clearly and in a fun way: https://www.duolingo.com/abc as does Nessy: https://www.nessy.com/en-gb . Teach your monster to Read: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teachyourmonstertoread.tmapp&hl=en_GB&pli=1 is another good app, but is quite fast paced, so is better for consolidation rather than learning. She might enjoy having special games to play that help her reading, and there are different levels to these games, so her sister could also play on harder levels, or else you could save the apps only for your DD who might be dyslexic, so that she has her own special things.

Once she gets the hang of reading, fun books like the Apple Tree Farm series: https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/series/593 (you can get the complete set cheaply on ebay), Elephant and Piggie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_and_Piggie, Project X alien adventures: , and Project X Hero Academy: books are really motivating books with exciting plots to help encourage a love of reading. Hero academy covers levels lilac to lime+ of the oxford reading tree. Alien adventures goes from lilac all the way to year 6 reading ability.