Phonics is a method used for teaching children to read letters (graphemes) or groups of letters by saying the sound (phonemes) they represent.
| Vocabulary | Definition |
|---|---|
| Digraph | A type of grapheme where two letters represent one Phoneme i.e. see. |
| Grapheme | A letter, or combination of letters, that corresponds to a single phoneme within a word. |
| Phoneme | A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. |
| Split digraph | Two letters that are not nest to one another i.e. cake. |
| Trigraph | A type of grapheme where three letter represent one phoneme i.e. high. |
The phonics screening check is taken individually by all children in Year 1 in England, and will be taken WB Monday 10th June 2024. It is designed to give teachers and parents 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.
There are two sections in this 40-word check and it assesses phonics skills and knowledge learned through Reception and Year 1. Your child will read up to four words per page for their teacher and they will do the check in one sitting of about 5–10 minutes.
You can see what the phonic screening check looks like here: