2027 Phonics Screening Check
The Phonics Screening Check is a short, one-to-one reading check that shows how well a child in Year 1 can decode words using phonics. It has taken place every summer in England since 2012, and the 2027 check is next. Below you'll find when and where it takes place, who sits it and the pass mark - plus free past papers to practise with while the official 2027 materials are prepared.
When is the 2027 Phonics Screening Check?
Schools must hold the 2027 check within the single week beginning Monday 14th June 2027. Each school chooses which day in that week to run it, and larger schools often spread it across several days.
The check takes place in school, one child at a time, with a teacher the child already knows. There is no time limit and it usually takes only a few minutes per child, so it feels more like reading with their teacher than sitting an exam.
Who Sits the 2027 Phonics Screening Check?
Every child in Year 1 in England - the first year of Key Stage 1, when children turn 6 - takes the check. It is statutory in all state-funded schools.
Any child in Year 2 who did not meet the expected standard in the 2026 Phonics Screening Check also re-sits it in 2027.
2027 Pass Mark & Threshold
The check is marked out of 40. The expected standard is confirmed by the Standards and Testing Agency after the check each year, but it has been 32 out of 40 every year since 2012, so the same threshold is expected for 2027.
Children who score 32 or more meet the expected standard. Those who score below 32 do not meet it this time and will re-take the check at the end of Year 2, in 2028.
Prepare for the 2027 Check
The official 2027 materials - assessment and practice materials, answer sheet, scoring guidance, word list, PowerPoint and a complete ZIP - will be published on this page after the check takes place in June 2027.
Until then, the best preparation is free past papers. Practise with the 2026, 2025, 2024 and 2023 Phonics Screening Checks, or browse every check back to 2012.
