ASSESSMENT RESOURCES
Phonics Assessment Made Simple
Let’s find out what they know, so we know where to go!
Find the right Phase, and then assess from there.
Start at a Phase that feels appropriate.
If it’s too easy or too difficult, simply move up or down until you find the right level.
Phase 1
Some questions are for you to answer based on what you know about your child; others are simple tasks to complete together.
Phase 2
Go through the sounds and words with your child. As soon as the words begin to feel tricky, that’s the right point to start learning from.
Phase 3
Go through the sounds and words with your child. When the words start to feel tricky, that’s the perfect place to begin learning.
Phase 4
Go through the words with your child. When they start to find the words tricky, that’s the point to begin learning from.
Phase 5
Work through each sub-phase. Look for consistency rather than every answer being correct. Use your judgement to decide if they’re secure before moving on.
Phase 6
Work through each sub-phase. Look for consistency rather than every answer being correct. Use your judgement to decide if they’re secure before moving on.
Optional: Sentence Application Assessment
Sentence skills typically develop after reading and spelling individual words, so this assessment is optional and won’t affect which Phase you teach from. Teach from where reading and spelling is secure, while continuing to support sentence writing.
Stop the assessment when gaps start to show. Children can typically recognise more sounds than they can read, read more words than they can spell, and spell more words than they can use correctly in sentences. There’s no need to keep testing – those first gaps will help you identify the right Phonics Phase to work from.
