This email is to inform you of two important developments related to systematic synthetic phonics and the Year 1 phonics screening check.
First the new, statutory phonics screening check for all pupils in Year 1 is being introduced this academic year. The check will show whether individual pupils have learnt phonic decoding to the expected standard, and will take place in a week-long window commencing 18 June 2012. Your school will receive a document on the assessment and reporting arrangements in early 2012.
The check consists of a list of 40 words. Pupils will read these words one-to-one with a teacher they know. The different grapheme-phoneme correspondences and word structures used in the pilot screening checks can be found on the this website, and you may want to consider your pupils' progress in light of this information.
Secondly, in the last week you should have received a catalogue of systematic synthetic phonics products and training called The Importance of Phonics. Up to £3,000 of match-funding (for a £6,000 spend) is available for schools with Key Stage 1 pupils for items purchased through this catalogue.
The catalogue contains a range of high quality resources that can be used to support your teaching as well as list of training providers all offering the best training in phonics for your staff. A link to an online version can be found on our website. There is also extra information on this frequently asked questions page. An explanation of how to place an order can be found inside the catalogue.
