Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

Children in Year 1 take part in the phonics screening check in June.

The purpose of the phonics screening check is to confirm that all children have learned phonic decoding to an age appropriate standard.

With some exceptions, all pupils who have reached the age of 6 by the end of the school year must take the check during that academic year. For most pupils, this will be in Year 1.

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words.

Pseudo-words are words that are phonically decodable but are not actual words with an associated meaning. They are included in the check specifically to assess whether your child can decode a word using their phonics skills.

All pseudo-words in the check are accompanied by a picture of an imaginary creature. Children are taught that when a word has a creature next to it, it is a pseudo-word. This ensures that they are not trying to match the pseudo-word to a word in their vocabulary.

The check is designed to give teachers information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage, so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.

The percentage of Year 1 children at St Mary's reading 32 words or more during the 2025 Phonics Screening check was 91.5%.