Updated 29 October 2026

The Year 1 phonics screening check

What happens in England's Year 1 phonics check, the pass mark (which changed in 2026), and what it means if your child's school is in the UAE.

Children read 40 words aloud to a teacher in June of Year 1: a mix of real words and made-up ones.

The 2026 pass mark was 31 out of 40. It had been 32 every year since 2012. Children who do not reach it take the check again in Year 2.

What the check is

The phonics screening check confirms whether a child has learned to decode words using phonics: matching letters to sounds and blending them. It is statutory in England for children who turn 6 during the school year, which for most is Year 1. It is not a reading comprehension test.

40 words in two sections of 20.
Real words and pseudo-words. The made-up words are shown as the names of imaginary creatures, with a picture, so a child cannot rely on memory and must sound them out.
One to one with a teacher, who marks each word as it is read.
Not timed. Most children take 4 to 9 minutes.

The pass mark

Officially it is the 'threshold' for meeting the expected standard, and it is only published after the check, on a set day in late June. For 2026 it was 31 out of 40. The Department for Education says this is the first change since the check began in 2012, when it was 32.

England, 2026	Figure
Threshold (pass mark)	31 out of 40
Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard	82%
Pupils meeting it by the end of Year 2	89%

The UK government has set an ambition for 90% of children to meet the expected standard by the end of Year 1.

When it happens

In one week in June. In 2026 it was the week beginning Monday 8 June; in 2027 it is the week beginning Monday 14 June. Children who were absent can take it later in the same month.

Results and retakes

The headteacher must give parents their child's score by the end of the summer term, saying whether the child met the expected standard. If not, the school should explain the support it will put in place, and the child takes the check again in June of Year 2.

The phonics check and schools in the UAE

The check is part of England's national assessments. The national curriculum that British schools in the UAE follow teaches early reading through phonics, but the schools are outside England's testing system, so there is no national phonics check result for children there. Ask your school how it tracks phonics in FS2 and Year 1. For what children learn in early reading, see English, Year 1 to Year 6 and FS1, FS2 and the EYFS.

Questions parents ask

What is the phonics screening check pass mark for 2026?

31 out of 40. The Department for Education calls it the threshold for meeting the expected standard. It is the first change since the check began in 2012, when the threshold was set at 32.

Is the pass mark always 32?

It was 32 every year from 2012 until 2025, which is why many websites still say 32. In 2026 it was 31. Since 2014 the threshold has only been published after children have taken the check, so schools do not know it in advance.

What are the nonsense words in the phonics check?

They are called pseudo-words: made-up words that can only be read by using phonics, because a child cannot have memorised them. The check presents them as the names of imaginary creatures, with a picture next to each, so children know they are not real words.

How long does the phonics screening check take?

It is not timed. The Standards and Testing Agency expects most children to take between 4 and 9 minutes. Each child reads to a teacher one to one.

What happens if my child does not pass the phonics check?

The school must tell you, and explain what support it will give. Children who do not meet the standard in Year 1 take the check again in June of Year 2. In 2026, 82% of Year 1 pupils in England met the standard, and 89% had met it by the end of Year 2.

Do schools in the UAE do the phonics screening check?

The check is part of England's national assessments, run by the Standards and Testing Agency for schools in England. British schools in the UAE are outside that system, so there is no national phonics check result for children there. The curriculum they follow still teaches reading through phonics, so ask your child's school how it checks progress in Year 1.

Sources