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printThe Year 1 Phonics Check aims to identify students who require targeted literacy support, and schools that require a stronger school-wide approach to structured synthetic phonics (SSP). For schools implementing PLD, a similar screening process has been occurring termly throughout Foundation and into Year 1.
The Phonics Check automatically categorises students’ decoding ability into three groups:
| Score Range | |
|---|---|
| Fluent Decoders | 28-40 |
| Developing Decoders | 20-27 |
| Struggling Decoders | 0-19 |
The Phonics Check is not program specific, and all evidence-based SSP programs if delivered with fidelity, should secure high proportions of students scoring the required 28 out of 40. In the UK, 80% of Year 1 students met the expected standard of 31 out of 40 in both 2024 and 2025. Among disadvantaged students, 67% met the standard in 2025. Read further on this here.
Because the Phonics Check is not tied to any single program, the practical question for PLD schools is whether the sequence has already taught the phonic concepts the check assesses by the time students sit it.
This example below shows concepts that have been taught within PLD’s sequence by the end of semester 1 Year 1. This assumes that students have completed the PLD Foundation scope and sequence and have reached Week 1-3 Term 3 in the sequence by the time of the presentation of the Year 1 Phonics Check.
Therefore, a student keeping up with the Yr 1 Teaching Sequence is likely to score within the ‘Fluent Decoder’ range. However, if a student in Yr 1 has only mastered the phonic concepts taught within the Foundation sequence, they are likely to score within the ‘Struggling Decoders’ range.
The table below provides a PLD-aligned phonics check. It has been provided as an additional layer that maps the concepts taught within the program. Students who do not pass the Yr 1 Phonics Check can complete a further check and identify where additional instruction is needed within the PLD scope and sequence.
| Real words – reading (compulsory) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Target 1 | Stage 1 Target 2 | Stage 1 Target 3 | Stage 1 Target 4 | Stage 2A | Stage 2B |
| Foundation Semester 1 | Foundation Term 3 | Foundation Term 4 | Year 1 Term 1 | Year 1 Term 2 | Year 1 Term 3 |
| tin | thud | soft | paid | burger | plane |
| red | rich | snack | harsh | eating | hide |
| gum | cash | trash | wall | crawl | note |
| jab | queen | must | order | rainbow | stress |
| Real words – spelling (compulsory) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Target 1 | Stage 1 Target 2 | Stage 1 Target 3 | Stage 1 Target 4 | Stage 2A | Stage 2B |
| Foundation Semester 1 | Foundation Term 3 | Foundation Term 4 | Year 1 Term 1 | Year 1 Term 2 | Year 1 Term 3 |
| sit | fish | frog | train | return | state |
| run | much | stop | number | beach | slide |
| wet | quit | went | chart | throat | cliff |
| zip | thick | camp | sport | shower | squint |
| Nonsense words – reading | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Target 1 | Stage 1 Target 2 | Stage 1 Target 3 | Stage 1 Target 4 | Stage 2A | Stage 2B |
| Foundation Semester 1 | Foundation Term 3 | Foundation Term 4 | Year 1 Term 1 | Year 1 Term 2 | Year 1 Term 3 |
| san | shup | fand | scay | toap | pafe |
| mip | zoop | glep | zong | snurt | wibe |
| teg | weth | sput | moit | seash | doff |
| koz | queeb | helt | sherm | snoud | grobe |
| Sentence Level Dictation (compulsory) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Target 1 | Stage 1 Target 2 | Stage 1 Target 3 | Stage 1 Target 4 | Stage 2A | Stage 2B |
| Foundation Semester 1 | Foundation Term 3 | Foundation Term 4 | Year 1 Term 1 | Year 1 Term 2 | Year 1 Term 3 |
| Tom and his dad sat on the bus. | Jack the fox can see chicks in a shed. | I think we are stuck in this tree. | Ray and Gail bring a toy ball when they go to the park | Kurt and Jean went out to sea on a boat and saw a shark | I ran home just in time for the game called Toss the Rope. |
To compare PLD’s compatibility with the Phonics Check and UFLI’s, Sounds-Write and the Enhanced Letters and Sounds, read Putting Assessment to Work: Example Year 1 Phonics Check; The Bulletin (Vol 62) pages 6-9
Tips for securing strong Phonics Check screening results
Tip 1: Commitment to get as many students keeping up with the Teaching Sequence as possible.
- In order for students to achieve the score of 28 out of 40, they need to be well into Stage 2 and keeping up with the Teaching Sequence at the time of testing. If positioned at Year 1 Term 3 week 3 in the Teaching Sequence, this group of students will score at least 28 out 40 (likely with a score of 30+).
Tip 2: Don’t necessarily hold students back, and remember to utilise the % converter for setting a plan for the term ahead.
- Remember the Science of Reading also encourages teachers to move through a sequence at pace.
- Sometimes teachers will ‘hold students back’ in Stage 1 targets 1, 2, 3 or 4 when there are several errors. However, it is only advised to do so for a select number of weeks, as indicated on the % Converter below in the orange area. Remember, when students are plotted in the orange area, they are not held back for a full term (rather, they are presented with a review of the concepts in error for 2-4 weeks and then move on to the next Target or Stage Part). Not doing this will negatively impact your Phonic Check results.
Tip 3: Analyse the Foundation Tracking Sheets in the year prior
- At the end of Term 3 in Foundation Year, consider which students are keeping up with the Teaching Sequence (for reading) and those who are not. Students who are falling behind are likely to fail the Yr 1 Phonic Check if they are unable to catch up over the next three school Terms. These students are strong candidates for more intensive support. Catching this early can result in preventative measures rather than being reactive when the signs of reading failure are present early.
The image on the right shows a Foundation class at the end of Term 3. The bottom six students are showing high accuracy within PLD’s Early Reading Screen (single word reading) through to Target 3. These students are on track, slightly above expectations. The next six students are also on track, but just in line with the Teaching Sequence. The top six students are behind the Teaching Sequence and are at risk of not passing the Yr 1 Phonics Check. Intervention efforts are best placed with these six students over the next three school Terms to ensure they have the best chance of reading success.
Tip 4: Consider presenting PLD’s real and nonsense word decoding tasks, to prime students for the upcoming screening and to provide additional blending and decoding practise
The following resources are being added to the Foundation and Year 1 SSP KITS, as digital displays and are available individually through the PLD website.
- Term 1 & Term 2 Foundation and the Target 1 catch-up program in Year 1 Kit. Reading real and nonsense words set 1: CVC words
- Term 3 Foundation and the Target 2 catch-up program in Year 1 Kit. Reading real and nonsense words set 2: phonic concepts sh, ch, th, oo, ee and ck words
- Term 4 Foundation and the Target 3 catch-up program in Year 1 Kit. Reading real and nonsense words set 3: CCVC and CVCC words
- Stage 1 Target 4, Term 1 Year 1 Kit. Reading real and nonsense words set 4: phonic concepts ar, or, er, ay, ai, oi, oy, ing and all words
- Early Stage 2, Year 1 Term 2; coming soon
- Mid Stage 2, Year 1 Term 3; coming soon
Tip 5: Reach out to the PLD Office to discuss your school’s situation
- PLD can help you to identify a pathway forward to maintain your storing results or to place the school on a pathway to improvement. Complimentary coaching sessions each Term are provided to schools using the PLD program. Book here to access personalised support (please note Queensland DoE school internet blocks the Calendly booking plug-in. You will need to use your own device to book these appointments).
