Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Year 2 phonics screening test will be taken during the autumn term.

In the 2020/21 academic year, it is a statutory requirement for schools to administer a past version of the phonics screening check for Year 2 pupils during the second half of the 2020 autumn term.

The autumn assessment will ensure that pupils who need extra support to decode phonics are identified. Those who meet the expected phonics standard will not be required to repeat the assessment. Those who do not meet the expected standard will be expected to retake the statutory check in June 2021, alongside current Year 1 pupils.