There is no evidence that the national phonics screening check (PSC) has a positive impact on primary-aged reading, research reveals.
A report by the Education Policy Institute has investigated the effectiveness of the PSC, which was designed to improve early reading development.
However, the report finds no evidence of improved key stage 1 or KS2 reading results since the PSC was introduced by the coalition government in 2012. There is also no evidence that the PSC has narrowed attainment gaps by the end of primary school.
Teachers have mixed feelings about conducting the PSC, according to the report, with almost equal numbers of teachers believing the check should remain in some form, compared with those who want it scrapped.
EPI examined national pupil-level census data for all children in Year 1 in England from 2009 to 2018, to compare pre- and post-usage of the phonics check.
It looked at KS1 reading and writing results, KS2 reading results and patterns of pupils being recorded with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
EPI is calling for the Department for Education to conduct a “fresh, transparent, evidence-informed review of whether the phonics screening check is an effective national intervention that helps children learn to read”.
The government should also “transparently and widely consider the costs and benefits of the check”, as well as consider alternatives, including no check.
Phonics check can be an indicator of SEND
Although there was a general upward trend in reading performance before the PSC, the increase “slowed and stalled” after its implementation, researchers Dr Tammy Campbell and Joni Kelly found.
The research found no evidence of KS1 writing results being improved by the introduction of the check once other pupil and school factors are accounted for. There is no evidence that KS2 reading results have improved, either.
In the first three cohorts of children who took the PSC in Year 1 and then progressed to the end of primary school, results for KS2 reading have risen and then fallen: 71 per cent overall reached the “expected level” in 2017, 75 per cent in 2018, and 73 per cent in 2019.
However, the report warns that it is “particularly difficult” to examine whether the PSC may have had an impact at KS2, because reformed assessments at this stage began in 2016.
The research also finds a relationship between pupils not passing the PSC and those identified as having SEND. Pupils who “fail” the check may be more likely to be newly recorded with SEND in Year 2 than they would have been before the phonics check was introduced.
More than a third of teachers want PSC scrapped
According to polling of primary teachers by TeacherTapp, most teachers reported spending 30-60 minutes a day on phonics lessons in the fortnight leading up to the PSC.
However, older teachers and those working in “outstanding” schools, or schools with fewer pupils registered for free school meals, generally reported spending less time on phonics.
When asked for views on the PSC, some 39 per cent of teachers said the check “should be scrapped,” while 14 per cent felt it should remain unchanged; 24 per cent believe the PSC should be retained but with significant changes.
While some teachers participating in previous evaluations have reported finding the PSC a useful tool, others have raised concerns that the PSC does not “accurately reflect all pupils’ skills” or provide “new, useful information”.
Change of government offers opportunity to reassess
The report also looks at results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls), which tests the reading skills of a sample of Year 5 pupils in England every five years.
It finds that Pirls results do not suggest that the PSC has had a positive impact on reading skills in England.
There has also been no significant rise in children’s reading scores in Pirls among those who have taken PSC - though there was a rise before the check was introduced.
A Department for Education spokesperson said there are range of measures in place to support the effective teaching of reading, but added that the review of curriculum and assessment will look at the teaching and assessment of reading.
“The phonics screening check tests whether children have learned phonic decoding to an age-appropriate standard and identifies those pupils who need extra support,” they said.
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