1. Phonics Screening

2. What is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language.
Children will begin to learn their phonics sounds in the Early Years. They will start by learning initial sounds e.g. s, a, t, p, i, n as these can easily be blended together to sound out simple CVC words. As they progress through foundation and into Year 1 they will begin to learn over 40 sounds which will support them with their reading and writing.
Phonics is taught for 20 minutes daily at school across Key Stage 1 and will consist of a range of adult led and independent activities.

3. What is the Phonics screening check?
Children in Year 1 throughout the country will all be taking part in a phonics screening check during the same week in June. Children in Year 2 will also take the check if they did not achieve the required result when in Year 1 or they have not taken the test before.
The screening check is designed to confirm whether individual children have learnt phonic decoding and blending skills to an appropriate standard.

4. What happens during the check?
During the screening check, individual children will read a list of 40 words to their class teacher.
The list of words that the child reads is a combination of 20 real words and 20 nonsense words.

5. How you can help your children at home
Play lots of sound and listening games with your child.
• Read as much as possible to and with your child.
• Encourage and praise – get them to have a ‘good guess’.
• If your child is struggling to decode a word, help them by encouraging them to say each sound in the word from left to right.
• Blend the sounds by pointing to each one, e.g. /c/ in cat, /p/ in pat, /ng/ in sing, /ee/ in been. ‘
• Discuss the meaning of words if your child does not know what they have read

6. 29th January 9am – 11.30am
We would like to invite Reception and Year 1 parents to come and join in with Phonic activities on Tuesday the 29th January in the morning. We kindly ask that only adults attend this morning.