Phonics Screening Check: The results are in!

The Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is done, and the results are in. A sigh of relief, relax your shoulders and congratulate yourself on all that hard work helping your learners prepare for the PSC. Cracking the skill of decoding is huge and for many learners it takes a long time and lots of practice.

We shouldn’t call the Phonics Screening Check a test. It’s simply a check-in. It’s a way of checking that across the country we are all giving our learners plenty of practice opportunities they need to become confident decoders. The activity of asking our children to read a series of words is no different from the task of reading words within phonics lessons.

Word reading requires practice, practice, practice

For beginner readers to get better at blending they need many opportunities to practise, apply and consolidate their word reading skills. If the PSC did not exist, we would still need to provide that quantity of practice to see beginner readers become decoders. Children’s reading skills can decline if they don’t get enough practice.

Success stories

We are delighted to hear that our Rocket Phonics programme has helped schools achieve great results in their Phonics Screening Check this year.

‘The PSC for Year 1 is 86%. We are very happy with the outcome. The implementation and impact of Rocket Phonics has enabled our Year 1 pupils to make phenomenal progress this year. Some of our pupils started the year scoring 7 out of 40 on their half term PSC assessments and ended the year with 38 out of 40 and reading age related texts. This is just one of many examples of the progress and achievements of our pupils and is just wonderful! The matched texts have supported the pupils to make accelerated progress. As the pupils have become more proficient readers, their self-esteem has grown and fostered a positive attitude towards learning. This is reflective not just of pupils in Year 1 but of pupils in Nursery, Reception and Year 2 where we also use the Rocket Phonics programme.’ Principal, The Forest Academy

‘Ever since starting Rocket Phonics our Phonics Screening Test results have improved. Last year we saw an incredible 90% of children pass, this year we achieved an outstanding 100% of pupils gaining the required pass mark. Next year we are on track to achieve another 90% passing based on 40% of our Reception pupils working at a greater depth in reading and writing, with a further 50% working at a secure level in literacy. The scheme has given the teachers in our school the ability to confidently deliver phonics lessons that are both time manageable and engaging.’ Rebecca Nelson, Reading and Phonics Lead, The Boyle and Petyt Primary School

‘85% pass rate in Year 1. Above our expectations with the level of SEND and the number of children who have joined us during the year. 100% pass rate in Year 2 retakes which speaks to the success of the programme long term.’ Simon Downes, Deputy Headteacher, Bradshaw Hall Primary School

‘We had 100% pass rate this year!!...Children are entering year 1 with fantastic phonics knowledge and skills which they have learnt during Reception class so are already confident. They then continue to build on these skills further when in year 1 so are able to segment and blend really confidently to help them pass the phonics screener. I have made sure that all teachers teaching the programme are consistent and are delivering the programme the same which means the children know the sequence of learning and the lesson so well and this has helped their phonics skills and knowledge to be so good.’ Sophie Wyatt, Phonics Lead, St Barnabas CE Primary, Pershore

The next message is don’t stop now! This applies to both the children who did reach the benchmark, and those that didn’t. It’s unlikely there were any surprises with your children’s results. Unless they’ve very recently joined your school, you’ve known them long enough to know their personalities and reading strengths, as well as their challenges. You’ve been tracking and monitoring their phonics progress for almost two years. Now is the time for maintaining momentum, reflection and planning for next steps.

Maintaining momentum

As we fast approach the end of the summer term, it’s important to keep up with your daily phonics lessons and maintain the momentum you’ve established. Your learners will thrive if you keep your phonics teaching timetabled as consistently as you can until the end of the school year.

Reflection

Whether 95% of your cohort reached the benchmark, or 65%, it’s important to understand why your result wasn’t 100%. Even if 100% of your cohort passed you still need to be aware of the reasons that next year could be a different story.

Percentages can be easily skewed by small class sizes – imagine working in a small village school with a Year 1 cohort of 8 children. If just two children don’t read the 32/40 words correctly, your overall score is already down to 75%.

Many schools cater for a range of learners who are on alternative phonics pathways. These learners might not be ready to access the PSC on the same timeline as the mainstream Year 1 cohort. These learners include those for whom English is a new language and they simply haven’t attended the school for long enough to be taught the English phonics knowledge and skills required to access the PSC. Some learners might have complex special educational needs or disabilities that result in a more gradual progression to independent word reading. They might not be ready for the PSC in Year 1 but watch them thrive at decoding those words in Year 2, 3 or 4.

Planning for next steps

It’s in our nature as teachers to be reflective about what the phonics screening check revealed, and whether we can do anything to improve our provision moving forwards. The Rocket Phonics Next Steps programme is the perfect follow-on for learners in Year 2 and beyond. Next Steps builds on the great phonics teaching you’ve been providing at your school, by ensuring revision and consolidation of previously introduced letter-sounds, guiding your young readers through the next stages of reading, and focusing on using phonics knowledge and skills to develop spelling confidence.

Learn more about Rocket Phonics and how it can transform your school by contacting your local consultant to arrange a discovery call.

Abigail Steel is an education consultant, trainer and author specialising in English language and literacy. She is also the author of our Rocket Phonics teaching and learning programme as well as Series Editor for the original Rocket Phonics series of decodable readers. After spending two decades working closely with hundreds of schools and teachers in the UK and across the globe, Abigail knows what truly drives positive outcomes for children.