Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1)

Published 10 October 2017

Last updated 4 March 2018 - see all updates

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Contents

1. Main facts and figures

• in 2015/16, there were 652,250 pupils at the end of year 1, and ethnicity was known for 643,163 (99%) of them

• 76% were White, 10% were Asian, 6% were Black, 6% were Mixed, 2% were from the any Other ethnic group and 0.5% were Chinese

The data for expected standards in phonics shows that:

• 81% of all pupils met the phonics expected standard at the end of year 1 (when children are aged 5 to 6 years)

• in every ethnic group, FSM-eligible pupils were less likely to meet the expected standard than other pupils, except Gypsy/Roma pupils

• in every ethnic group, girls did better than boys

• Indian girls and boys were most likely to meet the expected standard, at 92% and 87% respectively

• Gypsy/Roma boys and girls were the groups least likely to meet the expected standard, at 33% and 41% respectively

• 91% of all pupils had met the expected standard by the end of year 2 (when children are aged 6 to 7 years)

Things you need to know

Results are presented for the academic year 2015/16. The data includes pupils in year 1 in 2015/16 who took and passed the phonics test. It also includes pupils in year 2 in 2015/16 who were retaking the test because they were missed, or had failed it, in year 1.

Results for the Isles of Scilly and the City of London, which have only one school each, have been excluded from local authority breakdowns. This is because the very small number of pupils in these local authorities make the results unreliable.

The Department for Education (DfE) has also excluded, or ‘suppressed’, very small numbers (for example, values of 1 or 2, a percentage based on 1 or 2 pupils who achieved, or 0, 1 or 2 pupils who did not achieve a particular standard). This is because, where the size of the ethnic group population is small enough that an individual’s identity could be revealed, information is suppressed to preserve confidentiality. This is consistent with DfE’s statistical policy statement on confidentiality (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF).

What the data measures

This data measures the percentage of pupils who met the phonics expected standard at the end of year 1 and the end of year 2 in key stage 1 (when children are aged 5 to 7).

The data covers the academic year 2015/16 (September 2015 to July 2016).

The phonics approach helps children to learn to read by teaching them the sounds made by letters in the English language. They can then combine these sounds into words, for both reading and writing.

All pupils in state-funded mainstream schools take the phonics screening checks at the end of year 1 to see if they’ve reached the expected standard. Pupils who don’t meet the standard, or who weren’t checked, are checked again at the end of year 2.

The test consists of 20 real words and 20 made-up words that pupils read out loud to a teacher.

The ethnic categories used in this data

This data uses categories from the Department for Education’s school census, which is broadly based on the 2001 national Census, with 3 exceptions:

• Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma children have been separated into 2 categories
• Sri Lankan has been added to the Asian/Asian British group but is not reported separately
• Chinese pupils have been assigned a separate category

These changes were made after consultations with local authorities and lobby groups.

The categories in the school census are as follows:

White:

• White British
• White Irish
• Traveller of Irish Heritage
• Gypsy/Roma
• Other White

Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups:

• White and Black Caribbean
• White and Black African
• White and Asian
• Other Mixed background

Asian/Asian British:

• Indian
• Pakistani
• Bangladeshi
• Sri Lankan
• Other Asian background

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British:

• Black African
• Black Caribbean
• Other Black background

Chinese Other ethnic group

Information is provided for both detailed and broad ethnic groups where possible and when the data is available.

The 6 broad categories used are as follows:

• Asian/Asian British
• Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
• Chinese
• Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
• White
• Other ethnic group

However, local authority data is only provided for 5 broad ethnic groups. Information about the specific ethnic categories is excluded to preserve confidentiality and ensure individuals cannot be identified. Information about the Other ethnic group is not given because DfE does not publish data for this group at the local authority level.

The 5 broad categories are as follows:

• Asian/Asian British
• Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
• Chinese
• Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
• White

2. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of year 1 and year 2 pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity

Ethnicity	Year 1	Year 2
All	81	91
Asian	84	93
Bangladeshi	82	92
Indian	89	95
Pakistani	81	92
Asian other	85	93
Black	82	91
Black African	84	92
Black Caribbean	79	90
Black other	80	89
Chinese	88	94
Mixed	82	92
Mixed White/Asian	85	94
Mixed White/Black African	82	92
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	78	90
Mixed other	83	92
White	80	91
White British	81	92
White Irish	81	91
White Irish Traveller	41	60
White Gypsy/Roma	37	60
White other	78	89
Other	79	89
Unknown	58	73

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity Summary

The data shows that:

• 81% of all pupils in England met the expected standard at the end of year 1 (aged 5 to 6 years), and 91% by the end of year 2 (aged 6 to 7 years)

• Indian pupils were most likely to meet the expected standard both at the end of year 1 and at the end of year 2 – 89% and 95% did so in each year respectively

• Gypsy/Roma pupils were least likely to meet the expected standard at the end of year 1 – 37% did so

• both Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils were least likely to meet the expected standard at the end of year 2 – 60% did so in both groups

3. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals (FSM)

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals

Ethnicity	FSM	Non-FSM
	%	%
All	69	83
Asian	78	85
Bangladeshi	78	83
Indian	81	89
Pakistani	76	81
Asian other	80	85
Black	78	84
Black African	80	85
Black Caribbean	74	81
Black other	74	81
Chinese	77	89
Mixed	73	85
Mixed White/Asian	72	87
Mixed White/Black African	77	83
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	70	81
Mixed other	73	85
White	66	82
White British	66	83
White Irish	60	84
White Irish Traveller	35	47
White Gypsy/Roma	37	37
White other	69	79
Other	76	80

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals (FSM) Summary

Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is used as an indicator of deprivation by the Department for Education. For more about who qualifies for FSM, see the Methodology section.

The data shows that:

• across all ethnic groups, FSM-eligible pupils were less likely to meet the expected standard than other pupils, except Gypsy/Roma pupils

• 69% of FSM-eligible pupils met the expected standard, compared with 83% of all other pupils (a gap of 14 percentage points)

• among all FSM-eligible pupils, Indian children were most likely to meet the expected standard – 81% did so

• across all ethnic groups, FSM-eligible pupils from a Traveller of Irish Heritage Background were least likely to meet the expected standard (35%)

• the biggest gap in attainment, at 24 percentage points, was found among Irish pupils, where 60% of FSM-eligible pupils met the expected standard compared with 84% of those not eligible

• for White British children, the attainment gap between pupils eligible for FSM and those not eligible was 83% and 66% respectively (a gap of 17 percentage points)

• for Gypsy/Roma pupils, there was no difference in attainment between those eligible for FSM and those not eligible (both at 37%)

4. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and area

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of children meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity and area

Local authority	All	Asian	Chinese	Black	Mixed	White
	%	%	%	%	%	%
County Durham	82	83			77	82
Darlington	86	76	100	100		86
Gateshead	80	74		75	87	80
Hartlepool	85		100	100	73	85
Middlesbrough	74	81		88	72	74
Newcastle upon Tyne	81	82	78	88	86	81
North Tyneside	81	71	77	73	92	81
Northumberland	84				87	84
Redcar and Cleveland	82				89	82
South Tyneside	81	84			91	81
Stockton-on-Tees	83	84		89	77	84
Sunderland	81	77		86	88	81
Blackburn with Darwen	81	86		67	94	77
Blackpool	80	80	100		91	80
Bolton	80	87	100	77	85	79
Bury	82	79	100	84	86	83
Cheshire East	82	89	100		84	83
Cheshire West and Chester	79	78	67		83	80
Cumbria	77	73			76	77
Halton	76				76	76
Knowsley	78		100	67	66	78
Lancashire	81	79	86	83	82	81
Liverpool	75	74	82	79	76	76
Manchester	78	80	90	84	79	78
Oldham	76	76		69	82	78
Rochdale	82	82	100	84	86	83
Salford	79	84	100	83	85	79
Sefton	78	86		77	78	78
St. Helens	78		76		80	79
Stockport	82	79	83	79	81	82
Tameside	77	82	79	74	78	77
Trafford	85	82	93	77	81	87
Warrington	83	93			89	83
Wigan	83	79	77	77	91	83
Wirral	80	77	75		82	80
Barnsley	79			85	80	79
Bradford	79	82		82	76	78
Calderdale	82	82			81	82
Doncaster	78	81		88	78	77
East Riding of Yorkshire	81	88			86	81
Kingston upon Hull, City of	77	80	100	68	81	77
Kirklees	78	80		73	78	78
Leeds	77	79	86	75	75	77
North East Lincolnshire	80		100	100	87	79
North Lincolnshire	83	86		69	82	83
North Yorkshire	78	78	100	74	83	78
Rotherham	79	81	81	82	81	79
Sheffield	77	78	81	77	78	78
Wakefield	77	83	83	79	85	76
York	82	86	63		86	82
Derby	78	84	81	84	75	78
Derbyshire	79	84	80	86	80	79
Leicester	77	83	69	80	79	71
Leicestershire	80	86	85	90	81	80
Lincolnshire	83	90			83	83
Northamptonshire	81	83	87	83	83	81
Nottingham	75	80	84	80	78	74
Nottinghamshire	77	84	80	80	81	77
Rutland	86			100		85
Birmingham	79	82	89	81	81	78
Coventry	79	83		85	80	77
Dudley	79	82		78	78	79
Herefordshire, County of	81				84	81
Sandwell	79	83		80	79	78
Shropshire	81				85	81
Solihull	84	90		78	84	83
Staffordshire	83	91	87	85	85	83
Stoke-on-Trent	80	84	82	74	83	80
Telford and Wrekin	84	86		93	87	84
Walsall	82	87		84	83	82
Warwickshire	82	85		94	81	82
Wolverhampton	79	86		80	79	77
Worcestershire	81	80		76	85	81
Bedford	75	79		76	73	75
Cambridgeshire	78	81	89	78	80	78
Central Bedfordshire	81	90	100	90	86	80
Essex	81	91	88	86	83	81
Hertfordshire	83	87		80	84	82
Luton	78	81	75	82	76	77
Norfolk	78	84	90	79	76	78
Peterborough	77	82		77	79	75
Southend-on-Sea	80	84		83	80	80
Suffolk	79	86		85	78	79
Thurrock	83	92		90	85	81
Camden	80	81		81	83	80
City of London
Hackney	85	89	87	84	85	86
Hammersmith and Fulham	85	91	100	83	86	86
Haringey	82	84	80	83	88	82
Islington	80	75	100	79	81	81
Kensington and Chelsea	87	81		87	85	88
Lambeth	84	88	86	83	85	85
Lewisham	83	86	86	83	83	84
Newham	87	90	88	88	89	84
Southwark	82	84	84	83	84	84
Tower Hamlets	81	83		79	79	77
Wandsworth	85	88	84	82	83	87
Westminster	88	90		89	88	88
Barking and Dagenham	81	87		84	79	77
Barnet	81	84	92	81	83	83
Bexley	85	92	93	90	84	82
Brent	82	84		81	83	83
Bromley	86	92	86	87	86	85
Croydon	79	86		79	80	78
Ealing	82	85		76	84	84
Enfield	79	91		79	82	76
Greenwich	84	86	92	87	89	82
Harrow	84	88	100	82	88	79
Havering	85	89	100	85	86	84
Hillingdon	83	88		85	86	79
Hounslow	84	88		80	86	83
Kingston upon Thames	87	90		87	85	87
Merton	80	84	85	83	81	78
Redbridge	80	86	86	79	79	75
Richmond upon Thames	89	93	90	86	90	89
Sutton	82	89		85	82	81
Waltham Forest	83	86	80	85	84	82
Bracknell Forest	84	92		93	86	83
Brighton and Hove	79	81	81	83	81	80
Buckinghamshire	81	77		76	81	82
East Sussex	81	85		78	82	81
Hampshire	81	85	85	81	87	81
Isle of Wight	76				80	76
Kent	82	88	93	89	86	81
Medway	82	88		89	88	81
Milton Keynes	81	87	81	85	85	78
Oxfordshire	80	80		83	81	80
Portsmouth	81	84		83	87	81
Reading	79	84	100	84	80	77
Slough	81	87		80	78	75
Southampton	82	85	100	83	85	81
Surrey	82	86	84	84	86	82
West Berkshire	80	92	100		78	80
West Sussex	77	78	100	74	79	77
Windsor and Maidenhead	81	85		75	83	80
Wokingham	83	91	100	78	84	82
Bath and North East Somerset	79	77	77	80	80	79
Bournemouth	81	88			87	80
Bristol, City of	78	78	79	73	76	80
Cornwall	80	73	73		81	80
Devon	82	86			81	82
Dorset	80	89			80	80
Gloucestershire	80	88	83	77	82	80
Isles of Scilly
North Somerset	83	84	63		80	83
Plymouth	80	83	77	81	82	80
Poole	83	91			81	83
Somerset	78	75	67		75	79
South Gloucestershire	81	90		82	82	81
Swindon	76	82		78	83	76
Torbay	81	75	100		88	81
Wiltshire	78	89		81	80	78

Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and area Summary

The data shows that:

• overall, pupils were most likely to meet the expected standard in Richmond upon Thames in London (89%), and least likely to meet the expected standard in Middlesbrough in the North East (74%)

• White pupils were most likely to meet the expected standard in Richmond upon Thames in London (89%) and least likely in Leicester in the East Midlands (71%)

• Asian pupils were most likely to meet the expected standard in Richmond upon Thames in London and Warrington in the North West (93% for both) and least likely to meet the expected standard in North Tyneside in the North East (71%)

• pupils of Mixed ethnicity were most likely to meet the expected standard in Blackburn with Darwen in the North West (94%) and least likely to meet the expected standard in Knowsley in the North West (66%)

• 100% of Black pupils met the expected standard in Darlington and Hartlepool in the North East, North East Lincolnshire in Yorkshire and the Humber, and Rutland in the East Midlands

• Black pupils were least likely to meet the expected standard in Knowsley and Blackburn with Darwen in the North West (67% for both)

• 100% of Chinese pupils met the expected standard in 23 out of 81 local authorities, where data is available

• Chinese pupils were least likely to meet the expected standard in North Somerset in the South West and York in Yorkshire and The Humber (63% in both)

5. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and gender

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of year 1 and year 2 children meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity and gender

	Boys		Girls
Ethnicity	Boys Year 1	Boys Year 2	Girls Year 1	Girls Year 2
All	77	89	84	93
Asian	81	91	87	95
Bangladeshi	78	90	86	94
Indian	87	94	92	96
Pakistani	77	90	85	94
Asian other	82	91	88	95
Black	78	89	86	94
Black African	80	90	87	94
Black Caribbean	74	88	84	93
Black other	75	87	84	92
Chinese	86	92	90	95
Mixed	78	90	86	94
Mixed White/Asian	82	93	89	96
Mixed White/Black African	78	91	86	94
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	73	87	83	93
Mixed other	80	90	86	94
White	77	89	84	94
White British	77	90	85	94
White Irish	78	89	83	93
White Irish Traveller	35	57	47	63
White Gypsy/Roma	33	56	41	64
White other	75	87	82	91
Other	76	88	82	91
Unknown	55	70	61	76

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity and gender Summary

The data for pupils at the end of year 1 (aged 5 to 6) shows that:

• girls did better than boys in all ethnic groups: 84% of girls met the expected standard compared to 77% of boys

• Indian girls (92%) and boys (87%) were most likely to meet the expected level in phonics

• the biggest gap between girls and boys was found in the Traveller of Irish Heritage ethnic group, where 47% of girls met the expected standard compared to 35% of boys (a gap of 12 percentage points)

• the smallest gap between girls and boys was found in the Chinese ethnic group, where 90% of girls met the expected standard compared to 86% of boys (a gap of 4 percentage points)

The data for pupils at the end of year 2 (aged 6 to 7) shows that:

• girls did better than boys across all ethnic groups: 93% of girls met the expected standard compared to 89% of boys

• Indian girls, and those from the Mixed White and Asian ethnic group, were most likely to have met the expected standard by the end of year 2 – 96% of these groups had done so

• Gypsy/Roma boys were least likely to have met the expected standard by the end of year 2 – 56% did so

• the biggest gap between boys and girls was in the Gypsy/Roma ethnic group, where 64% of girls met the expected standard compared to 56% of boys (a gap of 8 percentage points)

• the smallest gap between boys and girls was found in the Indian ethnic group, where 96% of girls met the expected standard compared to 94% of boys (a gap of 2 percentage points)

6. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity, gender and eligibility for free school meals (FSM)

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity, gender and eligibility for free school meals (FSM)

Ethnicity	Non-FSM boys	FSM boys	Non-FSM girls	FSM girls
	%	%	%	%
All	79	64	86	74
Asian	82	74	88	81
Bangladeshi	79	74	87	83
Indian	87	79	92	84
Pakistani	78	72	85	80
Asian other	82	78	88	83
Black	80	73	87	82
Black African	81	76	88	84
Black Caribbean	77	67	86	80
Black other	77	69	86	78
Chinese	88	71	90	86
Mixed	81	67	88	78
Mixed White/Asian	85	64	90	81
Mixed White/Black African	80	71	86	84
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	77	65	86	76
Mixed other	82	69	88	77
White	79	60	86	71
White British	80	60	87	72
White Irish	82	57	86	62
White Irish Traveller	40	30	53	41
White Gypsy/Roma	33	31	40	44
White other	75	65	82	74
Other	77	74	83	78

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity, gender and eligibility for free school meals (FSM) Summary

Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is used as an indicator of deprivation by the Department for Education. For more about who qualifies for FSM, see the Methodology section.

The data at the end of year 1 shows that:

• in every ethnic group, boys and girls not eligible for FSM did better than those who were eligible, except Gypsy/Roma girls where pupils eligble for FSM did better

• within every ethnic group, girls eligible for FSM did better than boys eligible for FSM

• overall, among FSM-eligible pupils, girls out-performed boys at the end of year 1: 74% of girls met the expected standard, compared to 64% of boys

• 30% of Travellers of Irish Heritage boys eligible for FSM met the expected standard (the lowest percentage of any FSM-eligible ethnic group)

• 86% of Chinese girls eligible for FSM met the expected standard (the highest percentage of any FSM-eligible ethnic group)

• the biggest gap between boys and girls was found in the Mixed White and Asian group, where 81% of girls met the expected standard, compared to 64% of boys (a gap of 17 percentage points)

• the biggest gap in attainment between FSM-eligible and non-eligible pupils was found among Irish boys and girls – 82% of non-eligible boys met the expected standard compared to 57% of eligible boys (a gap of 25 percentage points), while 86% of non-eligible girls met the expected standard compared to 62% of eligible girls (a gap of 24 percentage points)

7. Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity, gender and area

• Location: England
• Time period: 2015/16
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Percentage of year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics by ethnicity, gender and area

	All			Asian			Black			Chinese			Mixed			White
Local authority	All All	All Boys	All Girls	Asian All	Asian Boys	Asian Girls	Black All	Black Boys	Black Girls	Chinese All	Chinese Boys	Chinese Girls	Mixed All	Mixed Boys	Mixed Girls	White All	White Boys	White Girls
All - England	81	77	84	84	81	87	82	78	86	88	86	90	82	78	86	80	77	84
Barking and Dagenham	81	77	85	87	85	91	84	81	89				79	74	84	77	73	81
Barnet	81	77	85	84	81	89	81	77	86	92	100	100	83	80	87	83	80	87
Barnsley	79	75	83				85	81	90				80	75	84	79	75	83
Bath and North East Somerset	79	76	83	77	72	82	80	77	86	77	79	87	80	75	84	79	75	83
Bedford	75	71	80	79	75	84	76	71	80				73	68	77	75	71	78
Bexley	85	82	88	92	94		90	100		93	100	100	84	81	88	82	79	86
Birmingham	79	75	83	82	78	86	81	77	86	89	100	100	81	77	85	78	74	82
Blackburn with Darwen	81	77	84	86	83	89	67	50	60				94			77	72	81
Blackpool	80	76	84	80	75	84				100	100	100	91			80	76	84
Bolton	80	76	84	87	84	91	77	72	81	100	100	100	85	82	88	79	75	82
Bournemouth	81	78	85	88	86	92							87	87	92	80	76	84
Bracknell Forest	84	81	88	92			93						86	84	91	83	80	87
Bradford	79	75	83	82	78	86	82	78	87				76	70	80	78	74	82
Brent	82	79	86	84	81	89	81	77	86				83	80	87	83	80	87
Brighton and Hove	79	76	83	81	77	86	83	80	88	81	88	100	81	77	85	80	76	84
Bristol, City of	78	75	82	78	74	83	73	67	76	79	81	89	76	71	81	80	77	84
Bromley	86	83	89	92			87	86	96	86	100	100	86	84	90	85	82	89
Buckinghamshire	81	77	85	77	71	81	76	72	80				81	77	85	82	79	86
Bury	82	78	85	79	74	83	84	80	89	100	100	100	86	83	89	83	79	86
Calderdale	82	78	86	82	78	86							81	76	85	82	78	85
Cambridgeshire	78	74	82	81	77	85	78	73	83	89	100	100	80	75	84	78	74	82
Camden	80	76	84	81	77	86	81	77	86				83	80	87	80	76	84
Central Bedfordshire	81	77	85	90	89	93	90	100	100	100		100	86	84	90	80	76	84
Cheshire East	82	78	85	89	87	92				100	100	100	84	80	87	83	79	86
Cheshire West and Chester	79	75	83	78	73	82				67	60	73	83	79	86	80	76	84
City of London
Cornwall	80	77	84	73	65	75				73	76	78	81	77	85	80	77	84
County Durham	82	78	85	83	78	87							77	71	81	82	78	85
Coventry	79	75	83	83	79	87	85	82	90				80	75	84	77	73	81
Croydon	79	76	83	86	83	90	79	75	84				80	75	84	78	75	82
Cumbria	77	72	80	73	64	75							76	69	79	77	73	81
Darlington	86	82	89	76	70	79	100			100	100	100				86	82	89
Derby	78	74	82	84	80	88	84	81	89	81	88	100	75	69	78	78	74	82
Derbyshire	79	75	83	84	80	88	86	84	92	80	81	90	80	75	84	79	75	83
Devon	82	79	86	86	84	91							81	77	85	82	79	86
Doncaster	78	74	82	81	76	85	88	87	100				78	72	81	77	73	81
Dorset	80	77	84	89	88	93							80	76	84	80	77	84
Dudley	79	75	83	82	78	86	78	73	83				78	73	82	79	75	83
Ealing	82	79	86	85	82	89	76	71	80				84	81	88	84	81	88
East Riding of Yorkshire	81	77	84	88	85	91							86	83	90	81	77	84
East Sussex	81	78	85	85	82	89	78	74	84				82	79	86	81	78	85
Enfield	79	76	83	91	91	100	79	75	84				82	78	86	76	72	80
Essex	81	77	85	91	91	100	86	85	93	88	100	100	83	80	87	81	77	85
Gateshead	80	76	84	74	65	75	75	69	79				87	84	91	80	76	84
Gloucestershire	80	77	84	88	87	92	77	73	83	83	100	100	82	79	86	80	77	84
Greenwich	84	81	87	86	83	90	87	86	100	92	100	100	89	90		82	79	86
Hackney	85	82	88	89	88	93	84	81	89	87	100	100	85	83	89	86	82	89
Halton	76	71	80										76	70	79	76	71	80
Hammersmith and Fulham	85	82	88	91	91	100	83	79	88	100		100	86	84	90	86	82	90
Hampshire	81	78	85	85	82	89	81	77	86	85	100	100	87	85	92	81	78	85
Haringey	82	79	86	84	81	88	83	79	88	80	83	92	88	87	93	82	79	86
Harrow	84	81	87	88	86	92	82	78	87	100			88	87	94	79	75	83
Hartlepool	85	81	88				100			100	100	100	73	66	76	85	81	88
Havering	85	82	89	89	88	93	85	82	91	100			86	84	90	84	81	88
Herefordshire, County of	81	77	84										84	80	87	81	77	85
Hertfordshire	83	80	87	87	84	91	80	76	85				84	80	88	82	79	86
Hillingdon	83	80	87	88	86	92	85	82	91				86	84	90	79	75	83
Hounslow	84	81	88	88	86	92	80	76	85				86	84	91	83	80	87
Isle of Wight	76	72	80										80	75	84	76	72	80
Isles of Scilly
Islington	80	76	84	75	68	77	79	75	84	100		100	81	77	85	81	77	85
Kensington and Chelsea	87	85	89	81	77	86	87	86	95				85	83	89	88	86	91
Kent	82	79	86	88	86	92	89	93	100	93	100	100	86	84	91	81	78	85
Kingston upon Hull, City of	77	72	81	80	76	84	68	57	73	100		100	81	76	85	77	73	81
Kingston upon Thames	87	86	90	90	90	100	87	86	100				85	83	89	87	85	90
Kirklees	78	74	82	80	76	84	73	67	75				78	72	81	78	74	82
Knowsley	78	74	82				67	56	67	100	100	100	66	64	68	78	74	82
Lambeth	84	80	87	88	85	91	83	79	88	86	100	100	85	83	89	85	82	88
Lancashire	81	77	84	79	74	83	83	78	87	86	100	100	82	77	86	81	77	84
Leeds	77	72	81	79	75	84	75	70	79	86	100	100	75	68	78	77	73	81
Leicester	77	73	81	83	79	87	80	76	84	69	75	77	79	74	83	71	67	75
Leicestershire	80	76	84	86	83	90	90	100	100	85	100	100	81	77	85	80	76	84
Lewisham	83	80	87	86	83	90	83	79	88	86	100	100	83	80	87	84	81	88
Lincolnshire	83	79	87	90	88	93							83	79	86	83	79	87
Liverpool	75	71	79	74	67	77	79	74	84	82	90	100	76	70	79	76	72	80
Luton	78	74	82	81	77	86	82	78	87	75	77	79	76	71	80	77	73	81
Manchester	78	74	82	80	76	84	84	80	89	90	100	100	79	74	83	78	74	82
Medway	82	79	86	88	86	92	89	100	100				88	88	100	81	78	85
Merton	80	76	84	84	82	89	83	80	88	85	100	100	81	77	85	78	75	82
Middlesbrough	74	71	79	81	76	85	88	87	100				72	65	76	74	68	78
Milton Keynes	81	78	85	87	85	91	85	84	92	81	88	100	85	83	89	78	75	82
Newcastle upon Tyne	81	77	84	82	77	86	88	87	100	78	81	89	86	83	89	81	77	84
Newham	87	86	90	90	89	93	88	88	100	88	100	100	89	90		84	81	88
Norfolk	78	75	82	84	80	88	79	75	84	90	100	100	76	71	80	78	74	82
North East Lincolnshire	80	76	84				100			100		100	87	84	91	79	75	83
North Lincolnshire	83	79	87	86	83	89	69	63	75				82	78	86	83	79	87
North Somerset	83	80	87	84	82	89				63	55	67	80	76	84	83	80	87
North Tyneside	81	77	84	71	61	67	73	67	75	77	78	83	92			81	77	84
North Yorkshire	78	74	82	78	73	83	74	68	77	100		100	83	79	86	78	74	82
Northamptonshire	81	77	84	83	79	87	83	79	88	87	100	100	83	79	86	81	77	85
Northumberland	84	80	87										87	84	91	84	80	87
Nottingham	75	71	79	80	76	84	80	76	84	84	100	100	78	72	82	74	71	78
Nottinghamshire	77	73	81	84	80	88	80	76	84	80	82	91	81	77	85	77	73	81
Oldham	76	72	80	76	71	81	69	62	73				82	78	86	78	74	82
Oxfordshire	80	76	84	80	76	84	83	80	88				81	77	85	80	76	84
Peterborough	77	73	82	82	78	86	77	73	83				79	74	84	75	71	79
Plymouth	80	77	84	83	80	87	81	78	86	77	81	88	82	79	86	80	77	84
Poole	83	80	87	91	93	100							81	77	86	83	80	87
Portsmouth	81	78	85	84	82	89	83	80	89				87	87	92	81	78	85
Reading	79	76	83	84	82	89	84	81	90	100			80	75	84	77	74	82
Redbridge	80	76	84	86	84	90	79	75	84	86	100	100	79	74	84	75	71	79
Redcar and Cleveland	82	78	85										89	88		82	78	85
Richmond upon Thames	89	88	93	93			86	86	94	90	100	100	90	91		89	88	92
Rochdale	82	78	85	82	77	86	84	80	89	100		100	86	83	89	83	79	86
Rotherham	79	75	83	81	77	85	82	78	87	81	84	100	81	76	85	79	75	83
Rutland	86	83	89				100									85	82	88
Salford	79	75	83	84	80	88	83	79	88	100		100	85	82	88	79	75	82
Sandwell	79	75	83	83	79	87	80	76	85				79	74	83	78	74	82
Sefton	78	74	82	86	83	89	77	72	82				78	72	81	78	74	82
Sheffield	77	73	81	78	73	83	77	73	82	81	88	100	78	72	82	78	74	82
Shropshire	81	77	85										85	82	89	81	77	85
Slough	81	78	85	87	85	91	80	77	86				78	73	82	75	71	80
Solihull	84	80	87	90	89	93	78	73	83				84	80	88	83	80	87
Somerset	78	75	82	75	70	78				67	64	76	75	69	79	79	76	83
South Gloucestershire	81	78	85	90	91	100	82	78	87				82	79	86	81	78	85
South Tyneside	81	77	84	84	80	87							91	93		81	77	84
Southampton	82	79	86	85	82	89	83	80	89	100			85	83	89	81	78	85
Southend-on-Sea	80	76	84	84	80	88	83	79	88				80	75	84	80	76	84
Southwark	82	79	86	84	81	88	83	79	88	84	100	100	84	80	88	84	81	88
St. Helens	78	74	82							76	77	83	80	75	84	79	75	82
Staffordshire	83	80	87	91	91	100	85	82	90	87	100	100	85	82	89	83	80	87
Stockport	82	78	86	79	74	83	79	74	84	83	100	100	81	76	84	82	78	85
Stockton-on-Tees	83	79	86	84	80	88	89	88	100				77	72	81	84	80	88
Stoke-on-Trent	80	76	84	84	80	88	74	68	77	82	93	100	83	79	86	80	76	84
Suffolk	79	75	83	86	83	90	85	82	90				78	73	82	79	75	83
Sunderland	81	77	84	77	71	81	86	84	92				88	87	92	81	77	84
Surrey	82	79	86	86	84	91	84	81	90	84	100	100	86	84	91	82	79	86
Sutton	82	79	86	89	88	93	85	82	91				82	78	86	81	77	85
Swindon	76	72	80	82	78	86	78	74	84				83	80	87	76	72	80
Tameside	77	72	81	82	78	86	74	68	77	79	81	89	78	72	81	77	73	81
Telford and Wrekin	84	80	87	86	83	90	93	100					87	85	91	84	80	88
Thurrock	83	80	87	92	93	100	90	100	100				85	82	89	81	77	85
Torbay	81	78	85	75	70	79				100			88	88	100	81	78	85
Tower Hamlets	81	77	85	83	79	87	79	75	84				79	74	84	77	73	81
Trafford	85	81	88	82	78	86	77	72	82	93	100	100	81	76	85	87	84	90
Wakefield	77	73	81	83	79	87	79	75	84	83	100	100	85	82	88	76	72	80
Walsall	82	78	86	87	84	91	84	81	89				83	80	87	82	78	86
Waltham Forest	83	80	87	86	84	91	85	83	92	80	84	92	84	81	88	82	79	86
Wandsworth	85	82	88	88	86	91	82	78	87	84	100	100	83	80	87	87	85	90
Warrington	83	79	86	93									89	89		83	79	86
Warwickshire	82	79	86	85	82	89	94						81	77	85	82	79	86
West Berkshire	80	77	84	92						100			78	73	82	80	76	84
West Sussex	77	73	82	78	74	83	74	69	79	100			79	75	84	77	74	82
Westminster	88	86	92	90	89	94	89	88	100				88	87	93	88	88	91
Wigan	83	79	86	79	74	84	77	72	82	77	79	86	91			83	79	86
Wiltshire	78	75	82	89	88	93	81	78	86				80	76	84	78	75	82
Windsor and Maidenhead	81	78	85	85	82	89	75	70	79				83	80	87	80	76	84
Wirral	80	76	84	77	71	81				75	77	79	82	78	86	80	76	84
Wokingham	83	80	87	91	92	100	78	74	84	100			84	81	88	82	79	86
Wolverhampton	79	75	83	86	83	90	80	76	85				79	74	83	77	73	81
Worcestershire	81	77	85	80	76	84	76	70	79				85	82	89	81	77	85
York	82	78	86	86	83	89				63	50	63	86	83	90	82	78	85

Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) Phonics attainment for children aged 5 to 7 by ethnicity, gender and area Summary

The data shows that:

• overall, girls did better than boys in achieving the expected standard in all local authorities, where data is available

• for White pupils, the biggest attainment gap was in Middlesbrough in the North East, where 78% of girls met expected standard, compared to 68% of boys (a gap of 10 percentage points)

• for Asian pupils, the biggest attainment gap was in Cumbria in the North West, where 75% of girls met expected standard, compared to 64% of boys (a gap of 11 percentage points)

• for Black pupils, the biggest attainment gap was in the City of Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and the Humber, where 73% of girls achieved the expected standard compared to 57% of boys (a gap of 16 percentage points)

• for Chinese pupils, the biggest attainment gap was in Rotherham in Yorkshire and the Humber, where 100% of girls met the expected standard, compared to 84% of boys (a gap of 16 percentage points)

• for pupils with Mixed ethnicity, the biggest attainment gap was in Torbay in the South West and Medway in the South East, where 100% of girls met the expected standard, compared to 88% of boys (a gap of 12 percentage points)

• please be aware, except for the information for White and Mixed pupils, the statistics quoted for phonics attainment by ethnicity, gender and local authority are based on small numbers of pupils and are highly variable over time

8. Methodology

The phonics dataset is put together using information matched together from 2 data sources:

• phonics results in year 1, plus those in year 2 who didn't pass the check in year 1
• the school census record

Key stage 1 results received from local authorities are combined with pupil characteristics from the school census. Records are matched using identifiers such as surname, forename, date of birth, unique pupil number, gender and postcode. This successfully matches around 98% of results.

Phonics results are not published at school level. The coverage of the local authority and regional statistics is for state-funded mainstream schools only in England. This includes schools and academies but excludes hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision.

The information was collected from 16,337 schools (approximately 650,000 pupils).

Pupils are included in the figures for free school meals (FSM) if their families have claimed eligibility for FSM at the time of the annual spring school census. This FSM definition includes all who were eligible to receive FSM, not only those who actually received FSM. Pupils not eligible for FSM or unclassified pupils are described as ‘non-FSM’ or ‘all other pupils’.

Parents are able to claim FSM if they receive a qualifying benefit.

FSM is used as an indicator of disadvantage, but when drawing conclusions, it should be remembered that not all eligible parents apply for FSM. Families who don’t quite reach the eligibility threshold for FSM may still be suffering deprivation.

Suppression rules and disclosure control

Values of 1 or 2 or a percentage based on 1 or 2 pupils who achieved, or did not achieve, a particular standard are suppressed. Some additional figures may be suppressed to prevent the possibility of a suppressed figure being revealed. This suppression is consistent with DfE’s statistical policy statement on confidentiality (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF) .

Figures for the Isles of Scilly and City of London are suppressed in DfE’s key stage 2 provisional Statistical First Release as these local authorities have a single school and DfE do not publish school-level information in the performance tables at the time of the provisional release. These figures are unsuppressed in the revised release as school-level figures are already published in the performance tables.

Regional eligible pupil figures are rounded to the nearest 10 so that it is not possible to derive figures for these local authorities by summing the figures for the other local authorities in the region.

In the school-level data, any figures relating to a cohort of 5 pupils or fewer are suppressed. This applies to sub-groups of pupils as well as the whole cohort. For example, if there were five boys and three girls in a school, DfE would not publish attainment for boys or girls separately but would publish attainment for all pupils as this is based on 8 pupils. The Code of Practice for Official Statistics requires DfE to take reasonable steps to ensure that their published or disseminated statistics protect confidentiality.

For more information about DfE’s disclosure control procedures for its statistical releases please see DfE’s statistical policy statement on confidentiality (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF).

Rounding

Percentages in charts and tables are rounded to the nearest whole number.

You can see percentages rounded to 1 decimal place if you download the data.

Related publications

Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2016

Quality and methodology information

9. Data sources

Source

Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2016

Type of data

Administrative data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Department for Education

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

This data provides results for the 2016 phonics screening checks and key stage 1 national curriculum assessments for pupils in schools in England. The results are used to monitor pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing, science and mathematics.

10. Download the data

Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) by end of year 1 - Spreadsheet (csv) 77 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, gender, FSM, value and denominator

Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 (key stage 1) by end of year 2 - Spreadsheet (csv) 16 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, gender, value and denominator

Phonics attainments for children aged 5 to 7 by local authority - Spreadsheet (csv) 487 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, region, local authority, gender, value and denominator

Publication release date: 10 October 2017

Updated: 4 March 2018

full page history

1. 4 March 2018 Minor updates for style and accuracy
2. 11 October 2017 Technical change: Updated url to match page title.
3. 10 October 2017 First published

From: Department for Education

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