The Impact of the Introduction of the Phonics Screening Check in English Schools (2012-2021)

The Phonics Screening Check (PSC) was introduced in 2012 for Year One pupils in England. Just two years after its introduction, the Government stated that 102,000 more 6-year-old children were “on track to read more effectively” (Gibb, 2015). Such claims suggest that the PSC has been successful in raising standards; however, this increase has not been matched by similar improvements in reading test data in Year Two and Year Six. Opponents of the PSC raise concerns about its impact on pedagogical freedoms, its validity, and the pressure of a high-stakes test. Much research into early reading has focused on the ‘reading wars’ and the conflict between teaching methods (Flesch, 1955; Dombey, 2010; Buckingham et al., 2013). Other research (Clark, 2014, Walker et al, 2015) has reviewed issues around the initial implementation of the PSC. This thesis accepts that phonics-based instruction is now the accepted method of teaching in English schools and focuses instead on the long-term consequences of a national testing programme. This study follows a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of pupil test data with semi-structured interviews with both teachers and pupils from three schools. The data are analyzed through a sociocultural lens, with the aim of exploring the impact of a restrictive test of cognitive skills on a wider understanding of reading as a social and cultural practice. The study shows that the correlation between performance in the PSC and later reading tests is significant but is not as statistically strong as might be expected. The data collected show that the PSC has influenced teaching methods. Therefore, as a tool for facilitating widespread pedagogical and policy change, the PSC has achieved success, but as for its aim of developing fluent readers, the evidence is less certain. The study concludes by suggesting that the PSC has had more of a negative impact on teachers than on their pupils.