A report this week from the Education Policy Institute (Campbell & Kelly, 2024) finds no evidence that the check has improved key stage 1 and 2 reading results or narrowed attainment gaps.
However, the study does find a relationship between the screening check and the identification of SEND in year 2.
The phonics screening check was introduced nationally for all year 1 pupils in 2012 by the then coalition government.
The DfE at the time said that the purpose of the check was to support progress towards fluency in reading and “confirm whether each child has learnt phonic decoding to an age-appropriate standard”. Schools are required to ensure that any pupils not meeting expected standards in the check “continue to receive support in phonics”.
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