Assessment​

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge.  It helps the school confirm whether your child has made the expected progress.

The national phonics screening check was introduced in 2012 to all Year 1 children in the country. It is a short, statutory assessment to ensure that children are making sufficient progress in the phonics skills to read words and are on track to become fluent readers who can enjoy reading for pleasure and for learning.

When will the phonics screening take place?

In 2025, the check will take place during the week commencing Monday 9th June 2025.

How does the check work?

Your child will sit with a teacher and will be asked to read 40 words aloud. The test normally takes a few minutes. If your child is struggling the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.

The check consists of a list of 40 words, half real words and half nonsense words, the nonsense words will be shown to your child with a picture of an alien. This not only makes the check a bit more fun, but provides the children with a context for the nonsense word which is independent from any existing vocabulary they may have.

Why Pseudowords/non- words / nonsense words / alien words?

Non-words are important to include as they can’t be read using their vocabulary or from memory; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess all children’s ability to decode.

After the check

We will inform you on your child’s progress towards the end of the Summer term. Children who have not met the standard will retake the check when they are in Year 2.
All children are individuals and all develop at different rates. The screening check ensures that teachers understand which children need extra help with phonic decoding.

In Year One, pupils are expected to participate in a Phonics Screening Check to test their phonic ability. Pupils are asked to read the sounds of forty written strings of letters. Collated results for the school are published nationally. Parents are also informed of their child's score and whether they reached the pass mark. If pupils do not reach the pass mark in Year One, then they are expected to re-take the phonics test in Year Two.

At the end of KS1 (Year 2) it is optional for pupils to sit a number of National Curriculum Tests, which are taken in May. If the tests are taken, teachers use the outcome of these tests, together with the work the children have produced across the Key Stage, to form a teacher assessment judgement for the subjects Reading, Writing and Maths. 

Should the tests take place, please see the table below for information regarding each subject. Please note that these are not 'formal' tests and the materials will only be used to inform teacher judgement.

All primary school - aged children are expected to know their multiplication facts up to 12 x 12. They are expected to have a fast recall of these multiplication and corresponding division facts.

Children in Year 4 sit an online Multiplication Check in the Summer Term. The children will take the test on their Chromebook in school.

At Bowes, we provide the children with a variety of dynamic and fun approaches to learning their times tables, working in close partnership with parents to prepare them for the test.

Please click this link for information regarding the Multiplication Tables Check.

At the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) pupils sit a number of Statutory Assessment Tests, which are taken in May. The test papers are sent off and marked externally. Tests are taken on the following subjects:

• English - Reading
• English - Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
• Maths

English - writing is assessed internally by the class teachers who use a range of work that the children have produced throughout KS2. The test marks are normally returned to school in early July and are reported to parents and nationally.

Please see the table below for information regarding the tests that take place from Monday 12th May 2025 to Thursday 15th May 2025.