Pupils arrive at primary school with a vast range of speech and language abilities. Some will be happily conversing with teachers and peers, while others may need help getting a grasp of basic words and phrases.
To ensure each child is given the right level of support and schools can measure their progress, the phonics screening check is carried out across all Year 1 pupils.
What is the phonics screening check?
The phonics screening check is a test that Year 1 pupils in maintained schools, special schools or academies (including free schools) in England are required to take.
The test is a statutory assessment that confirms whether or not pupils have met the expected standard in phonic decoding - and can reveal which pupils may need additional support.
This mandatory test contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words - those that are phonically decodable but are not actual words.
Teachers administer the check one-on-one with each pupil and record whether their response to each of the 40 words is correct. Each pupil is awarded a mark between 0 and 40.
Pseudo-words are included in the check specifically to assess whether the pupil can decode a word using their phonics skills. Teachers record whether their response to each of the words is correct.
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 is to ensure that they are not trying to match the pseudo-word to a word in their vocabulary.
More information on primary assessment
When is the phonics screening check 2025?
Schools must administer the phonics screening check to Year 1 pupils during the week commencing 9 June.
What is the phonics screening check threshold for 2025?
The threshold mark is not communicated to schools until after the test has been completed. However, in recent years the phonics screening threshold has been 32 out 40 and this is not likely to change.
Check materials and the threshold mark will be published on Monday 23 June.
How can headteachers prepare?
Headteachers should identify which pupils will reach the age of 6 before the end of the academic year (most pupils will be in Year 1) and should take the check in June.
They also should consider whether any pupils will need modified versions of the test - this does not include braille versions, which can be ordered online from the national curriculum assessments helpline.
Headteachers are responsible for keeping all check materials secure and confidential until the testing window begins in June.
School leaders will also need to submit check results to the local authority for all eligible pupils by the deadline communicated to them by the local authority.
Will I be monitored during the test?
Local authorities (LAs) have a statutory responsibility to monitor the administration of the test. They must undertake monitoring visits to at least 10 per cent of their schools.
The LAs will observe certain aspects of phonics screening check administration to ensure the school is following the check administration guidance correctly.
At the end of the visit, monitors will meet with the headteacher, or delegated member of staff, to discuss their findings.
More information on phonics
How will the test results be used?
Schools will have access to all of their pupils’ results, allowing those pupils who need additional support to be identified and plans to be made to help them improve.
The government publishes attainment data for the phonics screening test every year, which measures results by disadvantage level and gender.
What if the pupil does not reach the standard in Year 1?
If a pupil does not meet the expected standard at the end of Year 1, a programme of support should be put in place and their teacher will consider a retake in Year 2.
Last year nearly eight in 10 (79 per cent) of pupils met the expected standard in the check in Year 1, up from 75 per cent in 2022.
Those who do not pass the test are more likely to pass in their Year 2 retake, with the percentage of pupils who met the expected standard at the end of Year 2 rising to 89 per cent in 2023.
Do parents receive feedback on their child’s phonics check?
Teachers should inform parents of their child’s results by the end of the summer term.
