Written question asked by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 January 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 February 2012. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 February 2012 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children in schools participating in the Year 1 phonics screening checked pilots were not checked because of (a) a recognised special educational need or disability and (b) any other reason.

Answer: The Department does not hold the information in the exact format requested. In the pilot of the Year 1 phonics screening check, teachers were asked to indicate whether a pupil was disapplied from the check, but they were not required to provide a reason for the disapplication.Of the 9,310 pupils at schools participating in the pilot, 191 (2.1%) were disapplied. There were also 321 (3.4%) pupils who were absent.In the national implementation of the check in 2012, it will be a requirement for schools to explain to parents why any child has been disapplied from the check prior to the week in which it is administered.

Secondary information