The Phonics Screening Check

Please note: This guidance applies to Phonics Screening checks taken in the Summer term. For information on Phonics Screening checks taken in the Autumn term due to the impact of Covid-19, please see this article: The Autumn Phonics screening check

Setting up the Assessment

Adding the Template

To add the Phonics Check assessment, go to Students > Assessments > DfE Assessments.

Click the green Load Assessment Template button in the top-right of the page.

Select the Phonics Screening Check then click Load Template.

Click +Add in the Phonics Screening Check section select the right student group and date.

In the slide over, select the main year group that is doing the Phonics Screening Check. This is usually Year 1. Don't worry, you can add additional students from other years later on.

Add the assessment date, and choose whether the assessment is for SEN students only, then click Setup Assessments.

Adding additional students

To add additional students (such as students who failed the assessment last year), click the check. 

Then select Manage Assessment. 

Click +Add in the Students section on the net page.

Select individual students or whole groups by clicking, then click Add Students.

They will then appear in the Student list and in the marksheet.

Inputting Marks

To input marks into the Phonics Screening Check, return to the DfE assessments page and again select the check. Click it and click Input Marks in the slide over.

Schools are not required to submit outcomes to their LA unless a student was, for example, absent when the test was administered.

In Arbor, you only need to enter the students' test mark in the right-hand column. Only input something in the left-hand column if the student did not take the test. In this case, input A, D, L or Q in the left-hand column.

The left-hand column will then automatically show outcomes Wt or Wa when the results have been released.

For more information on what marks and fields to fill in, see the DfE's Phonics screening
check: administration guidance.

Once the outcomes have appeared, you can report the screening check outcome to parents. Just click the tick boxes next to the students to report, click the blue pencil icon and select the right option.

You can also add students to interventions in the same way. Once you have ascertained which students did not meet the expected standard, we recommend creating an intervention for these students to help you support them towards the expected standard.

Exporting the Phonics Screening Check

To export your marks, take a look at this article.

Remember when exporting your CTF, leave the Year group field blank if you want all the students that took the test are chosen. If you want to, for example, export your year 1 and year 2 Phonics Screening Check data separately, you would select Year 1 in this field.