Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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Debbie_Hepplewhite
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Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... troduction
1. Introduction

27 September 2018

These statistics cover the attainment of pupils in the 2018 phonics screening check and key stage 1 national curriculum teacher assessments (TA).

Pupils take the phonics screening check at the end of year 1 (typically aged 6); pupils who do not meet the expected standard take the check again at the end of year 2 (typically aged 7).

Pupils are assessed at the end of key stage 1 (year 2) in reading, writing, maths and science. Pupils take tests (commonly referred to as SATs) in reading and maths and receive a teacher assessment (TA) in reading, writing, maths and science. We report only on TA in these statistics because test data is not submitted to the Department.

This statistical publication provides 2018 phonics screening check and key stage 1 teacher assessment results for pupils in schools in England at national, regional and local authority level based on provisional data.

The following tables are included in this publication:

Phonics national and local authority tables (.xlsx and .ods)
KS1 national and local authority tables (.xlsx and .ods)
Underlying data (.csv and metadata .txt)
The accompanying methodology document provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality and explains the methodology used in producing the data.

All percentage point differences and attainment gaps are calculated using unrounded figures.
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Debbie_Hepplewhite
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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Here is a brief summary of the phonics check results for 2018 in The Guardian:
Disadvantaged white boys lag behind peers in UK phonics test

Primary school literacy check has been criticised by teachers for including nonsense words
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... onics-test
White boys from disadvantaged family backgrounds are significantly underachieving even at the earliest stage of their education, results of this year’s phonics screening check for six-year-olds have revealed.

When results are broken down by ethnic group, gender and free school meal (FSM) eligibility, white boys on FSM are the lowest attaining group, with only six out of 10 pupils (62%) meeting the required standard.

Although official figures published by the government on Thursday show a two percentage point improvement on last year’s results among this group, disadvantaged white boys still lag way behind their peers.

Overall more than four in five pupils (82%) met the expected standard in the phonics screening check this year, a one percentage point increase on 2017 results. Chinese girls (not eligible for FSM) were the highest performing group.

The screening check involves pupils reading a list of 40 words aloud, of which half are nonsense. The pass mark this year was 32. Pupils who fall short take the check again at the end of year 2, by which time 92% met the required standard.

Analysis of the phonics results also revealed that fewer than half of pupils (44%) with special educational needs (SEN) reached the pass mark, compared with 89% of pupils with no identified SEN.
The Department for Education also published provisional results for key stage 1 teacher assessments that showed the number of six- and seven-year-olds reaching the expected standard in reading had dropped slightly compared to last year.

In reading, 75% reached the expected standard down from 76% last year, while in maths, 76% of children reached the required mark, compared to 75% in 2017.

The government said the phonics results showed that 163,000 more six-year-olds were on track to become fluent readers than in 2012 when the phonics check was introduced.
The test remains controversial, however, among some teachers and parents. A new survey by researchers at Newman University and Leeds Beckett University found that 85% of heads believe the test should not be compulsory, while 65% of teachers want it scrapped.

Wendy Scott, of the primary assessment campaign group More Than A Score, said: “Heads, teachers and parents agree: the phonics check is a waste of extremely valuable teaching time. Rather than learning to love reading, five and six-year-olds are spending months being drilled in nonsense words just so they can be tested.”

School standards minister Nick Gibb said: “This is a huge achievement, improving the lives and education of hundreds of thousands of children, but we remain determined to make sure that not just most children, but every single child, is able to meet his or her potential.”
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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I'm linking to the thread featuring this issue about practice with nonsense words as I do think it is important to discuss this - hopefully, it will forewarn teachers in Australia if a national phonics check is adopted there that whilst nonsense words are excellent and fit-for-purpose for checking children's code knowledge and decoding skill, there is a better way for children to practise decoding with real words. I discuss this via a podcast interview, see here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1026

You can also read the guidance provided by the Department for Education about practice with nonsense words via the link above.
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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The Guardian article flagged up this statistic:
Analysis of the phonics results also revealed that fewer than half of pupils (44%) with special educational needs (SEN) reached the pass mark, compared with 89% of pupils with no identified SEN.
I think it is very important to note here that some schools year on year teach every child, or nearly every child, to a standard enabling them to reach or exceed the benchmark in the phonics check. It is looking like regardless of phonics programme that schools may have adopted, or in-house phonics provision, it is the commitment and rigour of the phonics provision that is key to this level of success.

I can say this because I know of a number of phonics programmes in England that are achieving similar high standards where every child is doing well in phonics and I have heard from others with links to large numbers of school observing the same thing.

Here is a link to St. George's where year after year all the children succeed:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=528

John Walker who heads up the phonics programme adopted at St. George's has been saying for years that the important issue for the teachers themselves is quality teacher-training in the systematic synthetic phonics teaching principles (note that Sounds-Write is identified by its managers as a 'linguistic' phonics programme but it has been recognised as covering the same alphabetic code content and phonics skills for encoding and decoding as other good SSP programmes).

Where some schools' provision is leading to such good phonics results routinely, this does suggest that those schools where many of their children are not, are not really trained well enough, or providing phonics teaching and learning well enough.

You may have seen this graphic I devised based on the format of the Simple View of Reading which typifies what I have observed in many contexts in England - that what systematic phonics provision 'looks like' is very different indeed not only in school to school but in some case, in class to class in the same school:

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Sim ... chools.pdf

Bear in mind, also, that Reading Recovery with its whole language multi-cueing word-guessing ethos, is established at the Institute of Education in London - and in some regions in England, literacy advisors direct teachers to undertake Reading Recovery training - sometimes under the 'Every Child a Reader' umbrella.

This continuation of whole language multi-cueing is not only going against the findings of a huge body of international research findings, but also agains the prevailing official guidance in England which has been informed by the research findings and leading-edge practice. Systematic Synthetic Phonics is embedded in the statutory national curriculum - and yet still England is riddled with lack of professional understanding and flawed teacher training.

This is IN PLAIN SIGHT, though, of government officials and Ofsted - England's inspectorate.

You may recall the findings of the Science and Technology select committee back in 2009, in effect, lambasted the, then, government for promoting and funding Reading Recovery having accepted the Rose recommendations from Sir Jim Rose's Final Report (2006) and for failing to investigate alternatives regarding cost effectiveness for early intervention purposes.

As you can see, the waters are still very muddy as to the type of teaching provided in England's infant schools, and the content of training provided for at least some of the teachers.

England has come a long way - but has much more to do to improve for the benefit of all teachers and children.

The phonics check statistics, and the negative attitude towards the check by so many teachers and headteachers who neither seem to understand its content nor value it for professional development, illustrate this clearly.
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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This year 1,268 schools had 95%+ of their pupils achieving the expected phonics standard in Year One.

If these schools can achieve this result, we need to aim for the other schools to achieve this - and schools in English-speaking countries achieving this figure.

The problem is, if schools don't adopt a universal phonics check, we'll never know how effectively teachers are teaching.
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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More facts about the 2018 phonics check in Education Briefing:
GOVERNMENT TRUMPETS PHONICS SUCCESS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

1ST OCTOBER 2018

STUART O'BRIEN
https://education-forum.co.uk/governmen ... AObQ%3D%3D
163,000 more 6-year-olds are on track to become fluent readers since the introduction of the phonics screening check in 2012, according to official figures.

The results of this year’s phonics screening check and KS1 assessments also show:

*The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in phonics was 82% in year 1, an increase of 1 percentage point on last year and up 25 percentage points since 2012

*Free schools performed particularly well with 88% of pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics;

*London is the best performing region with Wandsworth, Bromley, Newham and Hammersmith and Fulham the best performing local authorities in the country

*1,268 schools had at least 95% of pupils achieving the phonics standard in year 1 in 2018, up from 1,076 in 2017; and

*At Key Stage 1 the statistics show 70% of children reaching the expected standard in writing, 75% of pupils reaching the standard in reading, and 76% of pupils reaching the standard in maths

The Department for Education itself says a focus on phonics – where children learn to read by sounding out and blending letters – has played a significant part in the improvement in primary school standards. For examples, England has risen from 19th place in 2006 to joint 8th in the world reading league table (PIRLS).

It also says that since the introduction of the phonics screening check in 2012, the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics has risen from 58% to 82%.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: “Reading and writing are the foundations of education and once grasped can open up a world of literature and knowledge to young people.

“Our continued focus on raising standards means six-year-olds are reading better than ever before – and we are setting an international benchmark, with Australia looking to follow our lead on phonics.

“This is a huge achievement, improving the lives and education of hundreds of thousands of children but we remain determined to make sure that not just most children, but every single child is able to meet his or her potential.”

For its part, the government says it has invested in programmes to help raise standards in primary schools, including continuing to fund Phonics Roadshows into 2018-19 and £41 million to follow the same approach to teaching maths through the Shanghai Mastery for Maths programme. ‎

This, it says, is on top of wider changes to the primary assessment system which will reduce unnecessary workload for teachers so they can focus on what really matters in the classroom.
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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In 2014, Ofsted (England's inspectorate) published a very good report following an inspection of a number of schools in Stoke-on-Trent.

I suggest that something akin to this report, but on a bigger scale (perhaps in the weakest authorities for example) is timely. I often call for a closer look at the detail of the reading instruction in schools more generally. Although all schools may say they provide 'phonics', this does not look the same school to school, or even class to class.

I highlighted the Stoke-on-Trent report, picking out key points, and commentating on the report, which you can read about here:


http://phonicsinternational.com/forum/v ... okeontrent
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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I think this is a really important article in that it provides an example of the level of lack of understanding of so many people with educational authority and influence where English is taught.

It is shocking that Nansi Ellis and Dr Mary Bousted are so ignorant about the role of phonics in reading acquisition. They do not appear to understand that it is children from the most challenging circumstances that are particularly in need of high quality phonics provision. Children who cannot lift the words off the page in the first place are far less likely to develop reading fluency, to understand the content of the text, and to "enjoy and engage with real books". Children without the alphabetic code knowledge and technical skills are then far less likely to read books independently and to expand their spoken language as a consequence of book-reading.

Can you believe this lack of understanding from people who head up a teachers' union?
Boys behind girls when it comes to phonics tests in Bucks
https://www.mix96.co.uk/news/local/2705 ... -in-bucks/
Boys in Buckinghamshire are less likely to pass important Year 1 reading tests than girls, new figures show.

Department for Education data shows the results of phonics tests, which children take aged five and six.

Children sound out a series of specially created words to show they can read the letters rather than just recognise words.
If they fail they repeat the test in Year 2.

In Buckinghamshire, in 2018, 88% of girls passed the tests, compared with 81% of boys.

The National Education Union believes this could be due to how boys interact.

Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary of the NEU, said:

"The answer might be in the quality of boys’ social interaction in early childhood, contrasted with girls’.
"Social interaction develops language skills, which in turn contribute to learning.
"This suggests that the answer to improving standards lies not in more formal teaching at an early age, but on improving children’s social skills through creating sociable and child-friendly classrooms."


Disadvantaged children on free school meals have a significantly lower pass rate than those who do not qualify for them.

In 2018, 64% of children on free school meals passed, while 86% of other pupils did.

The National Education Union said these figures are "worrying".

Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary of the NEU, said:

"Poverty makes a huge difference to educational attainment.
"Research shows that that children born into poverty have significantly lower test scores at age three, age five and age seven years.
"They continue to live in poverty in their early years and this has a negative effect on their cognitive development.
"Any serious strategy for raising educational attainment has to address these appalling figures."


Overall phonics test scores have been steadily rising in recent years.

In Buckinghamshire, 84% of pupils passed this year, compared with 55% in 2012.

Across England the pass rate has risen from 58% to 82%.

However, the NEU does not believe phonics tests help children learn to read.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, commented:

“In prioritising synthetic phonics above other approaches to the teaching of reading, the Government is doing teachers and children no service.
“Schools are working hard to ensure high scores in the phonics test, but teachers have no faith that a relentless focus on one kind of reading method produces readers who can enjoy and engage with real books.
“The Government continues to confuse accuracy in decoding words with fluency in reading. They are not the same thing, and Schools Standards Minister Nick Gibb's claim that synthetic phonics is putting children on track to be fluent readers has no basis in research.”


Buckinghamshire has a slightly better pass rate than average for the South East which is 83%.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:

“We want every child, regardless of background, to have a high quality education. Reading and writing are the foundations of that education.
“Since the introduction of the phonics check in 2012 there has been a huge improvement in the teaching of reading in primary schools.
"I remain concerned that 18% are not reaching that standard nationally and that 30% of children eligible for free school meals are not reaching the expected standard in the phonics check.
“Phonics is not dependent on the background of a child or on their cultural knowledge or vocabulary. It is a mechanical skill which if taught properly every child should be able to perfect.
"What this gap reveals is that in some schools phonics is not being taught as effectively as it should be. This is why we are establishing 32 phonics hubs, high performing schools across England that will work with other schools, including in disadvantaged areas, to improve the teaching of early language and reading."
Furthermore, some of the leading schools teaching systematic synthetic phonics really well have found that the gender gap is reversed - with boys achieving even better than the girls.

The solution could well be, then, in schools where boys are lagging behind, that the staff in those schools need to improve their phonics provision as Minister Nick Gibb points out:
"What this gap reveals is that in some schools phonics is not being taught as effectively as it should be."
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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Here is a local report in the Daily Echo about the phonics check results in Dorset:
Phonics success for children with English as a second language

By Jane Reader

CHILDREN in Dorset who do not speak English as a first language are more likely to pass important Year 1 reading tests than native speakers, figures reveal.
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/ ... -language/
...In the Dorset County Council area in 2018, 82 per cent of native English speakers passed, compared with 86 per cent of children where English was not their first language.
No surprises that, yet again, Dr Mary Bousted provides the undermining negative comment:
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: "Schools are working hard to ensure high scores in the phonics test, but teachers have no faith that a relentless focus on one kind of reading method produces readers who can enjoy and engage with real books."

Disadvantaged children on free school meals have a lower pass rate than those who do not qualify for them with a national average pass rate of just 67 per cent.

Overall phonics test scores have been steadily rising in recent years.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "Phonics is not dependent on the background of a child or on their cultural knowledge or vocabulary. It is a mechanical skill which if taught properly every child should be able to perfect.
It is good that Minister Nick Gibb refers to phonics being a 'mechanical skill' and not the whole picture of what makes a 'reader' in the full sense. Minister Gibb, and the DfE representatives, have never said otherwise.
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Re: Eng: National results for Y1 phonics check and Key Stage 1 assessments 2018

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I've written a review about an article in Nursery World that features a survey about the phonics check which I think is relevant to link to for this thread on the phonics check results.

See my review - and the responses of others to the survey. This illustrates the prevailing negativity that we see through the media and through comments made by potentially influential people heading up teachers' unions and other organisations:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1132
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