Year 1 - Birch
Miss Mein - Class Teacher
Miss Timney
Miss Dixon
Hello and welcome to Birch class. We are a class who love to ‘Learn, Achieve and Shine’ every single day. Learning is fun in our class along with different continuous provision opportunities, in order to develop us and create memorable moments for your children.
We will provide your children with a range of experiences that will enable them to become creative and critical thinkers. We believe all children should aim to be enthusiastic and have a positive attitude towards their learning to live ‘Life in all its Fullness’. This allows them to create valuable relationships with their peers and also staff. We believe it is important to build opportunities within the curriculum to allow children to become resilient to challenges that they may face within their learning and everyday life.
We regularly reflect on our Christian values throughout all aspects of our curriculum especially within collective worship time. We strive for every child to become the best that they can be and be ready, be respectful and be safe.
We have lots of exciting themes planned for this year including various trips and visitors to enhance our curriculum and make it come alive.
Miss Mein (teacher)
Year 1 Phonics Screen Check information for Parents
The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words.
Pseudo-words are words that are phonically decodable but are not actual words with an associated meaning. They are included in the check specifically to assess whether your child can decode a word using their phonics skills.
All pseudo-words in the check are accompanied by a picture of an imaginary creature. Children are taught that when a word has a creature next to it, it is a pseudo-word. This ensures that they are not trying to match the pseudo-word to a word in their vocabulary.
The check is designed to give teachers information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.
Phonics Screening Check will happen the week beginning Monday 9th June 2025.
How does the Phonics Screening Check work?
The Phonics Screening Check is defined by the DfE as “short, light-touch assessments.” During the Phonics Screening Check, children are asked to read (i.e. decode) 40 words. Most of these words are real words, but some are also pseudo-words. A pseudo-word is a fake (alien) word that features strings of letters that resemble real words.
The test is divided into two sections. In section one, children are asked to recognise simple word structures and Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs) from the earlier phases of the phonics curriculum.
Section two of the Phonics Screening Check is a bit trickier. Here, children need to recognise GPCs from later stages of the phonics curriculum. They will also be exposed to graphemes that correspond to more than one phoneme and they will need to decode them.
There isn’t a time limit for the Phonics Screening Check, but it usually takes around eight to ten minutes.
Most children pass their Phonics Screening Tests. If a child doesn’t pass and doesn’t meet the expected standard, they will be given the appropriate support with their phonics to help them eventually reach the expected standard. They will then re-take the Phonics Screening Check the following year.
How can you help at home?
Help your child to use ‘Special Friends’, ‘Fred Talk’ to read words.
Practise reading sounds speedily.
Watch the Virtual Classroom films together.
Listen to your child read their Storybook every day.
How do I use the Virtual Classroom?
Set aside 10 minutes to watch a film with your child each day.
Find a quiet space for your child to watch the film on a laptop or tablet.
Praise your child as they join in with the lesson – make it fun!
Find more free parent resources on www.ruthmiskin.com
If you require anymore information please speak to Miss Mein.
