Year 1 phonics screening check: What are phonics and what do the tests check - as results for 2024 released

• Phonics is an important skill for young children learning to read.
• Four out of five Year 1 primary school pupils passed their phonics screening tests this year.
• This is an important test children at state schools have to sit, which can help identify those who might need a little more help early on.
• Children who don’t pass on the first try will usually have to resit the test a year later.

Long before A levels or GCSEs, or even primary school SAT exams, England’s schoolchildren are tested on a key, budding literacy skill.

The Department for Education has now released the results of the 2023/24 school year phonics screening check, a test children usually take in their very first year of school. It helps determine whether they are on track developing their phonics abilities, one that will serve them well as they learn to read and write going forwards.

The data shows England’s young pupils have done a little better this year than last, although the results haven’t quite bounced back to where they were before the pandemic. It also shows a number of performance gaps echoed throughout the education system, between deprived children and their peers, and between England’s different regions.

But what exactly does this test involve, and why is it so important? And how exactly did this year’s new primary school pupils perform? Here’s what you need to know:

What does the Year 1 phonics check involve?

The phonics screening check is a statutory assessment in all of England’s state-funded primary schools - meaning children have to do it. Pupils sit the test at the end of Year 1, when most of them will be aged six.

Teachers will administer the check one-on-one with each pupil. They will be presented with 40 words - some real and some made up - and asked how they think they are pronounced. The made up words will have a picture of a little monster or creature beside them, so children know they are not real words.

Each pupil will be given a score between 0 and 40, depending on how they do. Although it does have the possibility to change, the government’s expected level is for children to be able to sound out at least 32 of the words correctly.

Teachers will also share each child’s score with their parents or carers. Those that don’t meet the government’s expected standard will have to sit the test again at the end of Year 2, when they are aged about seven.

What does the test actually measure?

The tests measure children’s ability in a skill known as ‘phonic decoding’. Children usually phonics at school, which teaches them helps to associate different sounds with different letters - or combinations of letters. They can then use this skill to help ‘decode’ larger or unfamiliar words, essentially by sounding them out.

The point of the test is to make sure children are making progress in line with the national curriculum. How they do in this early check can help both their school and family identify where they might need extra support.

The Department for Education says in an informational brochure to parents that learning to tackle new words is an important step in learning to read. “ By ensuring high quality phonics teaching, we want to improve literacy levels and give all children a solid base to build on as they progress through school.”

How did young people do in the last school year?

The new data shows that in the 2023/24 school year, 80% of pupils met the government’s expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check, up from 79% in 2023. By the end of Year 2, 89% of pupils were able to meet the expected standard.

Although this represents a small rise on last year, the overall results still linger below their pre-Covid high. Back in 2012, only 58% of children were passing the check in Year 1, but this gradually increased year-on-year until it hit 82% across 2018 and 2019. Testing was paused during the pandemic, and when it returned in 2022, only 75% of children were hitting the target.

This year, there were also some disparities in how children performed based on a number of different factors. Disadvantaged pupils - classified as those eligible for free school meals - didn’t do as well in the phonics screening check as their peers, with just 68% meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check this year - up from 66% last year.

Female pupils once again outperformed their male peers, with 84% of girls meeting the expected standard, compared to 77% for boys - both still increases on last year.

There was also a small but noticeable difference between England’s regions. London was the highest performer, with 82% of pupils passing the check in Year 1. The lowest performing regions were the North West and North East, both with 79% of children passing - a percentage point gap of 3.

What do you think about testing children on their phonics skills, and phonics’ role in learning to read? Have your say and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.