163,000 more 6-year-olds are on track to become fluent readers
since the introduction of the phonics screening check in 2012,
official figures reveal today (27 September 2018).
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 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. England has risen from
19th place in 2006 to joint 8th in the world reading league table
(PIRLS).
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%.
Phonics provides pupils with the building blocks they need to
read fluently and confidently, as well as aiding future learning
and giving them the tools they need to express themselves. Other
countries are looking to emulate the success of this approach,
with policy makers in Australia currently piloting this screening
check.
Thanks to the hard work of teachers and the introduction of a
more rigorous national primary curriculum, standards are rising
with the attainment gap between disadvantaged primary pupils and
their more affluent peers shrinking by 10.5% since 2011.
School Standards Minister 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.
The government has invested in programmes to help raise standards
in our primary schools, including continuing to fund the
successful Phonics Roadshows into 2018-19 and £41 million to
follow the same approach to teaching maths as world leading
countries through the Shanghai Mastery for Maths programme. This
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.
Today’s figures build on the record 1.9 million children now in
good or outstanding schools than in 2010 – an increase from 66%
of pupils to 86%. The government is continuing to ensure all
parents have a good school place on their doorstep, with the
recent announcement of £680million to create
40,000 more good school places in primary and secondary
schools. Since 2010, 825,000 new school places have been
created, with recent analysis showing 91% of those in 2016-17
were in good or outstanding schools.
