Phonics screening check: why this test taken by six-year-olds in England just isn’t needed

Opening paragraph:At the end of year one, when they are five or six, all children at state schools in England must take a test called the phonics screening check. The check measures their ability to use synthetic phonics – an approach to teaching reading – to blend sounds together to read words. If they don’t pass, children take the test again in the next school year.