Written question asked by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 12 December 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 December 2011. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Reading: Primary Education

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed phonics screening at age six on children with (a) special educational needs and (b) speech, language and communication needs; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: [holding answer 15 December 2011]: The Year 1 phonics screening check is designed to identify children who need help with decoding using phonics at an early stage in their schooling. The Government want as many children as possible to access the assessment, including those with special educational needs.The Standards and Testing Agency is currently analysing all of the data from the pilot and will provide a technical evaluation of the Year 1 phonics screening check, including information relating to Ofqual's common assessment criteria of validity, reliability, minimising bias, comparability and manageability. The technical report will include a dedicated section on the experience of children with special educational needs, including those with speech, language and communication needs. The Department intends the report to be published in spring 2012.

Secondary information