Phonics · ages 5–6
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check Practice Pack
Practice checks in the real format (40 words, alien words included), sound mats, sound buttons, word cards, a tracker and an adult script. 32 A4 pages, PDF.
Year 1 · KS1 · 32 A4 pages · PDF · instant download
There is a free sample page further down if you would like to see the style first.
- Four practice checks in the same two-section format as the real check
- A plain-English guide and a script for running a check
- Sound mats, sound buttons and phoneme frames for the graphemes in the check
- 64 alien word cards and 32 real word cards to cut out
- Score sheets, a tracker and a certificate
What's inside
- For the adult, what the check is, how to say the sounds and what alien words are for
- A script and marking guidance for running a practice check
- Grapheme tracker and two sound mats
- Four practice checks, 160 words in all, each with a score sheet
- Three sound-button pages and two phoneme-frame pages
- 64 alien word cards and 32 real word cards to cut out
- Split digraph and adjacent consonant practice
- Progress record and a certificate
About this pack
In June of Year 1, children in state schools in England read 40 words to their teacher, one to one. Twenty are real and twenty are made-up alien words, there to show whether a child can decode rather than remember. It is a short, one-to-one check with no time limit, and most children find it fine. The ones who wobble are usually caught out by a handful of sounds, or by the surprise of the format.
This pack removes the surprise. Four practice checks use the same two-section layout as the real thing, with a creature beside every alien word, and each comes with a score sheet so you can see which sounds need a little more time. Around the checks are the pages for the practice in between: sound mats for the graphemes that appear in the check, sound-button and phoneme-frame pages, split digraph practice, and cut-out word cards for games. Pupil pages use a typeface designed for early readers, with the single-storey a and g children are taught.
For the adult there is a plain-English guide to the check, a short script for running a practice check, and marking guidance that matches how the real check is scored. The adult pages also say when to stop: five minutes a few times a week is enough, and a session should end while the child still wants more.
Who it's for
Parents
Practice before the June check, with the words to say, what the alien words are for, and when to stop.
Teachers and tutors
Practice checks and score sheets for small groups, plus games for the sounds children find hardest.
Questions
Is it the same format as the real check?
Yes. 40 words in two sections, 20 real and 20 alien words, with a creature beside each alien word. The words are our own, because the real check's words are kept secret until it is taken.
Which sounds does it cover?
The graphemes that appear in the check, including the trickier alternative spellings often called phase 5. Your child's school may teach them in a different order, which is fine.
When should we start?
Around the spring term of Year 1, once your child is blending confidently. Five minutes a few times a week is plenty.
Do I need to be a teacher?
No. The adult pages tell you exactly what to say, what to accept and what to avoid.
We are a school. Which licence do we need?
The school licence. It covers one site, any number of classes, teachers and teaching assistants, and the PDF can sit on the school network where only staff can reach it.