What is the phonics screening check?
4 min read · updated 2026-09-01
The phonics screening check is a short one-to-one assessment taken by every Year 1 child in England (usually in June) to confirm they can decode words using phonics.
How it works
The child reads 40 words aloud to their teacher: 20 real words and 20 pseudo-words (made-up words like 'nip' or 'blom', marked with an alien picture so children decode rather than guess). The pass threshold has historically been 32 out of 40. It is low-pressure and familiar: children practise the format in class.
If a child doesn't pass
Nothing drastic happens. The child receives extra phonics support in Year 2 and retakes the check in June of Year 2. Most children who retake pass. The check's real value is as an early flag: it identifies decoding gaps precisely when they are easiest to close.
How parents help at home
Read together daily and let the child sound out unfamiliar words rather than guessing from pictures. Practise the sounds the class is learning that week (schools send home sound lists), and keep it playful: sound-hunts in the supermarket, phonics apps, and plenty of praise.
FAQs
What score is the pass mark?＋
The threshold has been 32 out of 40 in recent years, confirmed after each administration.
Should we mention the check to our child?＋
Most schools present it as a normal reading activity with fun alien words. Avoid building it up; anxiety affects decoding more than ability does.
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