Supporting Year 1 SEND Students in the Phonics Screening Check.
The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check can be a challenge for some learners, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). To support educators, parents, and learners, we’ve created free ChooseIt Maker phonics resources to help children practise both real and pseudo words in a fun and accessible way. Read on to discover how to support your child and how to get started with our free and customisable resources.
Get your free phonics screening ChooseIt Maker activities.
To support Year 1 learners, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), we’ve created 8 free ChooseIt Maker phonics screening activities, to help children practise both real and pseudo words in a fun and engaging way. Download your free phonics screening activities by entering your details below!
Discover our 8 free alien words activities.
We've designed a set of 8 interactive ChooseIt Maker activities to help Year 1 learners practise decoding pseudo (alien) words in a fun and structured way. These activities gradually build confidence by introducing alien words through engaging flashcards, interactive stories, and decision-making challenges. • Meet the Alien Words – A fun flashcard-style introduction to alien words. • The Alien Friends’ Big Adventure – An interactive story where children help friendly aliens on their journey by identifying alien words. • Find the Alien Word (Two Choices) – A simple activity to recognise alien words from two options. • Find the Alien Word (Three Choices) – A more challenging version with three-word options per page. • Find the Real Word – Encourages phonics-based decoding by selecting real words from a mix of alien words. • Real or Alien? – A flexible challenge where children must decide whether a word is real or alien. • Four-Letter Words – Helps children decode longer alien and real words, boosting phonics confidence. • Can You Find All the Real Words? – The ultimate challenge with four-word choices per page to reinforce learning.
What is the Phonics Screening Check?
The Phonics Screening Check is a short, one-to-one assessment that takes place in Year 1 to measure a child’s ability to use phonics to decode words. It consists of 40 words, including: • Real words (e.g., "tree," "jump," "cloud") • Pseudo words (e.g., "blon," "strev," "fape") – nonsense words that test a child's phonetic decoding skills without relying on vocabulary knowledge.
Why is the Phonics Screening Check used?
The purpose of the check is to identify children who may need extra support with phonics and early reading skills. Since phonics is a key building block for literacy, this assessment helps teachers understand how well a child is progressing and whether they need additional help. For children with SEND, the test can feel particularly challenging, as decoding unfamiliar words may require additional support, repetition, or alternative learning approaches. That’s why having the right strategies, tools, and accessible resources is so important.
Who takes the Phonics Screening Check?
Most Year 1 children in England take the Phonics Screening Check, but there are some circumstances where a child may be exempt. According to the Department for Education, children with significant speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) may not be required to take part, including: • Children who use British Sign Language (BSL) and do not use phonics-based reading strategies. • Children who are non-verbal or selectively non-verbal, making verbal responses difficult. • Children who have not yet demonstrated an understanding of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (the link between letters and sounds). Decisions about whether a child should take the check are made on an individual basis, ensuring that assessments remain fair and appropriate. If you’re unsure about your child’s participation, their teacher or SENCO can provide guidance.
Common challenges for SEND learners.
Children with SEND may face additional difficulties when it comes to phonics and early reading. Some of the most common challenges include: • Struggling to recognise letter-sound relationships, particularly if they have a language processing delay. • Difficulty retaining phonics patterns, especially for children with working memory challenges. • Anxiety or lack of confidence, making it harder to stay engaged with phonics activities. • Confusion over pseudo words, which can be especially tricky for learners who rely on meaning to decode words. The good news? With the right support and accessible, engaging practice, children can strengthen their phonics skills at their own pace and build the confidence they need to succeed.
How to help children with learning difficulties prepare.
Multi-sensory learning.
Phonics works best when children can see it, hear it, and interact with it. Using digital phonics activities, sound-matching games, or even hands-on tools like letter tiles can make learning more engaging.
Overlearning and repetition.
Many SEND learners need extra repetition to reinforce phonics patterns. Providing plenty of opportunities to practise sounds in different ways, such as listening, reading, and matching can improve retention.
Making pseudo words engaging.
Pseudo words can feel meaningless, so turning them into a fun game can help. Activities where children "decode alien words" or sort them into groups can help them focus on phonics skills rather than meaning.
How to use the ChooseIt Maker activities.
Our 8 free ChooseIt Maker phonics screening activities are designed to help you prepare for the test in a way that works best for your learners. • If you have a ChooseIt Maker subscription, all you need to do is redeem the share code to access the activities. You'll also be able to edit the activities to suit your needs. • If you don’t have a subscription, you can sign up for a trial below or you can use our free ChooseIt Maker iPad app to play the activities anywhere offline. Full instructions are in the download.
