Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds

Published 29 July 2019

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Contents

1. Main facts and figures

• in 2017/18, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in phonics in year 1 (at 5 to 6 years old), while 92% of pupils had done so by the end of year 2 (at 6 to 7 years old)
• pupils from the Indian and Chinese ethnic groups were the most likely to meet the expected standard in both year 1 and year 2
• pupils from the White Gypsy/Roma and White Irish Traveller groups were least likely to meet the expected standard in both year 1 and year 2
• in every ethnic group, a higher percentage of girls than boys met the expected standard in both year 1 and year 2
• in every ethnic group, pupils eligible for free school meals were less likely to meet the expected standard by the end of year 1 than other pupils

Things you need to know

In 2017/18, there were 664,499 pupils in year 1 and 664,100 pupils in year 2.

In both years 1 and 2, ethnicity was known for 99% of pupils. The broad ethnic breakdown was as follows:

• 75% of pupils were White
• 11% were Asian
• 6% were Mixed
• 5% were Black
• 0.5% were Chinese
• 2% were from the Other ethnic group

School-level data is not published for phonics.

Results for the Isles of Scilly and the City of London, which have only one school each, are not included in local authority breakdowns.

This data only includes pupils in state-funded schools.

What the data measures

This data measures the percentage of pupils who met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in both:

• year 1 (when pupils are 5 to 6 years old)
• year 2 (when pupils are 6 to 7 years old)

The year 2 results include both pupils who:

• met the expected standard in year 1
• retook the check or were taking it for the first time in year 2

Phonics is an approach to teaching reading in which pupils sound out words and combine sound-spelling patterns.

The phonics screening check is designed to confirm that pupils have met an appropriate standard in phonics.

The ethnic categories used in this data

This data uses categories from the Department for Education’s school census. These groupings are based on the 2001 Census of England and Wales, with 3 exceptions:

• Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma children have been separated into 2 categories
• Sri Lankan pupils are included in the Asian/Asian British group but don’t have a separate category
• Chinese pupils are included in a separate category from Asian

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

Data is reported for broad and detailed ethnic categories. These are

Asian/Asian British:

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

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British:

• Black African
• Black Caribbean
• Black Other

Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups:

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

White:

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

Chinese

Other ethnic group

2. By ethnicity

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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

Ethnicity	year 1	year 2
All	82	92
Asian	85	94
Bangladeshi	83	93
Indian	90	96
Pakistani	82	92
Asian other	87	93
Black	84	92
Black African	85	92
Black Caribbean	80	90
Black other	83	91
Chinese	91	95
Mixed	84	92
Mixed White/Asian	88	94
Mixed White/Black African	84	92
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	79	91
Mixed other	85	92
White	82	92
White British	83	92
White Irish	83	90
Gypsy/Roma	42	62
Irish Traveller	43	59
White other	81	90
Other	81	90
Unknown	62	74

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds By ethnicity Summary

The data shows that:

• in 2017/18, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in phonics in year 1 (at 5 or 6 years old), while 92% had done so by the end of year 2 (at 6 or 7 years old)
• 91% of pupils from the Chinese ethnic group met the expected standard in year 1, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• 96% of pupils from the Indian ethnic group met the expected standard by the end of year 2, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• 42% of White Gypsy/Roma pupils met the expected standard in year 1, the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• 59% of White Irish Traveller pupils met the expected standard by the end of year 2, the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• 83% of White British pupils met the expected standard in year 1, and 92% did so by the end of year 2

3. By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals (FSM)

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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

Ethnicity	FSM	Non-FSM
All	70	84
Asian	79	86
Bangladeshi	81	84
Indian	82	91
Pakistani	78	83
Asian other	79	87
Black	80	85
Black African	82	86
Black Caribbean	74	82
Black other	78	84
Chinese	87	91
Mixed	74	87
Mixed White/Asian	77	89
Mixed White/Black African	77	86
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	71	83
Mixed other	75	87
White	67	84
White British	67	85
White Irish	57	87
Gypsy/Roma	39	43
Irish Traveller	41	45
White other	71	82
Other	75	82
Unknown	67	62

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals (FSM) Summary

The Department for Education uses eligibility for free school meals (FSM) as an indicator of deprivation.

The data for year 1 pupils shows that:

• in every ethnic group, FSM-eligible pupils were less likely to meet the expected standard than non-FSM pupils
• among FSM-eligible pupils, those from the Chinese ethnic group were most likely out of all ethnic groups to meet the expected standard (at 87%)
• 39% of FSM-eligible pupils from the White Gypsy/Roma group met the standard, the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
• White Irish pupils had the biggest attainment gap between FSM-eligible and non-FSM pupils, at 30 percentage points
• among White British pupils, 67% of those eligible for FSM met the expected standard, compared with 85% of non-FSM pupils (a gap of 18 percentage points)

4. By ethnicity and area

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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

geography	All	Asian	Black	Chinese	Mixed	White	Other
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Barking and Dagenham	82	87	86	88	83	77	76
Barnet	86	87	86	95	88	87	83
Barnsley	80	90	81	0	75	80	90
Bath and North East Somerset	82	89	100	88	87	82	47
Bedford	80	81	82	100	78	80	92
Bexley	87	93	90	91	88	85	84
Birmingham	81	82	82	86	80	79	80
Blackburn with Darwen	82	86	76	67	88	79	85
Blackpool	81	94	67	100	82	81	88
Bolton	82	86	77	74	82	81	79
Bournemouth	83	91	85	100	84	82	83
Bracknell Forest	86	92	92	100	93	85	88
Bradford	81	84	83	90	81	79	74
Brent	83	87	84	100	82	84	77
Brighton and Hove	83	80	88	92	84	83	74
Bristol, City of	83	81	83	100	81	83	81
Bromley	88	94	85	96	90	88	90
Buckinghamshire	84	84	87	84	84	84	89
Bury	82	82	84	86	82	83	79
Calderdale	82	82	86	82	85	82	73
Cambridgeshire	81	89	86	90	85	81	78
Camden	83	81	85	92	85	83	82
Central Bedfordshire	84	91	90	100	89	83	90
Cheshire East	84	85	72	56	84	85	92
Cheshire West and Chester	80	93	72	88	84	80	77
City of London
Cornwall	82	82	86	73	83	82	65
County Durham	84	79	100	76	91	84	79
Coventry	81	86	85	96	84	80	80
Croydon	85	90	86	93	84	83	84
Cumbria	82	73	67	57	87	82	80
Darlington	86	81	89	100	88	86	75
Derby	82	86	88	84	80	82	79
Derbyshire	81	82	83	83	86	81	81
Devon	84	80	83	83	86	84	78
Doncaster	79	82	78	71	79	79	74
Dorset	82	89	80	88	83	82	68
Dudley	80	81	73	93	76	81	77
Ealing	86	87	84	91	90	86	85
East Riding of Yorkshire	82	90	100	100	86	82	73
East Sussex	83	87	77	95	83	83	70
Enfield	80	85	79	96	87	80	83
Essex	84	89	86	86	85	83	86
Gateshead	84	94	84	82	90	84	83
Gloucestershire	81	87	80	92	79	82	75
Greenwich	84	91	87	91	86	80	87
Hackney	86	89	85	94	85	86	84
Halton	79	100	100	N/A*	88	79	67
Hammersmith and Fulham	88	92	87	100	88	89	85
Hampshire	84	89	84	89	86	84	82
Haringey	85	90	83	95	87	87	81
Harrow	87	92	81	100	88	83	82
Hartlepool	82	89	80	100	94	82	67
Havering	85	88	87	100	86	84	89
Herefordshire, County of	84	100	82	100	89	84	67
Hertfordshire	84	88	83	90	86	84	82
Hillingdon	85	90	87	100	83	81	84
Hounslow	84	88	79	100	83	83	82
Isle of Wight	81	100	100	100	85	81	33
Isles of Scilly
Islington	84	82	83	93	83	84	90
Kensington and Chelsea	86	84	87	83	85	87	88
Kent	82	88	90	88	88	81	81
Kingston upon Hull, City of	80	86	71	33	83	81	81
Kingston upon Thames	86	84	81	98	88	86	86
Kirklees	80	82	81	81	81	79	85
Knowsley	79	96	84	83	82	79	58
Lambeth	85	86	84	92	86	87	80
Lancashire	82	81	82	91	82	82	70
Leeds	79	80	80	88	81	80	74
Leicester	79	84	84	86	83	75	82
Leicestershire	83	90	82	87	86	83	74
Lewisham	84	88	81	90	84	86	85
Lincolnshire	81	93	75	95	87	81	84
Liverpool	79	82	84	88	79	79	75
Luton	82	85	84	92	82	79	81
Manchester	80	82	84	90	83	79	77
Medway	82	90	88	100	83	81	90
Merton	85	90	81	96	84	85	92
Middlesbrough	80	82	81	100	81	80	74
Milton Keynes	85	91	89	100	85	83	84
Newcastle upon Tyne	83	85	86	85	85	83	83
Newham	88	89	88	88	92	85	91
Norfolk	80	90	76	95	86	80	86
North East Lincolnshire	82	91	100	50	75	83	81
North Lincolnshire	83	85	77	100	90	83	45
North Somerset	86	88	80	80	85	86	100
North Tyneside	84	86	81	93	91	84	50
North Yorkshire	81	76	70	81	82	81	72
Northamptonshire	83	88	84	100	82	83	74
Northumberland	85	97	50	75	80	85	83
Nottingham	79	84	84	96	81	76	79
Nottinghamshire	80	88	87	85	81	80	67
Oldham	77	76	81	96	76	79	64
Oxfordshire	82	83	81	97	81	83	74
Peterborough	76	79	77	85	82	76	62
Plymouth	82	92	87	85	84	82	91
Poole	86	92	100	100	93	86	86
Portsmouth	79	82	77	90	80	79	76
Reading	83	87	85	85	82	82	81
Redbridge	85	88	83	96	87	81	81
Redcar and Cleveland	82	82	75	100	79	82	60
Richmond upon Thames	87	89	80	96	88	88	84
Rochdale	82	83	82	93	82	82	85
Rotherham	81	82	81	94	86	81	72
Rutland	85	100	67	100	89	85	75
Salford	82	90	89	100	88	81	85
Sandwell	79	82	80	81	81	78	69
Sefton	83	80	100	90	86	83	63
Sheffield	79	78	80	92	81	80	74
Shropshire	82	69	100	86	84	82	78
Slough	86	88	89	100	86	81	87
Solihull	86	88	87	100	84	86	85
Somerset	81	81	81	100	80	82	68
South Gloucestershire	85	89	81	95	82	85	78
South Tyneside	83	89	93	100	87	82	80
Southampton	82	86	90	94	85	81	75
Southend-on-Sea	82	87	93	86	83	82	71
Southwark	85	86	86	95	83	85	79
St. Helens	81	88	100	100	85	81	70
Staffordshire	85	85	73	100	82	85	85
Stockport	82	82	81	87	86	82	81
Stockton-on-Tees	84	86	81	88	90	83	67
Stoke-on-Trent	80	83	77	95	84	80	70
Suffolk	81	91	84	88	84	81	88
Sunderland	82	85	83	89	83	82	90
Surrey	84	90	88	91	87	84	91
Sutton	87	91	89	96	89	85	78
Swindon	82	85	87	100	84	81	87
Tameside	79	81	65	73	78	80	83
Telford and Wrekin	85	82	86	80	86	85	80
Thurrock	84	89	90	93	88	82	86
Torbay	86	87	50	67	93	86	89
Tower Hamlets	82	84	83	80	83	80	72
Trafford	86	87	80	93	80	88	81
Wakefield	78	80	78	88	85	78	91
Walsall	83	88	85	85	86	82	80
Waltham Forest	86	88	85	95	88	85	82
Wandsworth	88	88	84	94	88	91	85
Warrington	84	85	92	83	86	84	88
Warwickshire	84	90	89	89	85	84	75
West Berkshire	81	88	80	70	84	80	75
West Sussex	82	84	73	85	83	82	85
Westminster	86	89	85	93	88	86	84
Wigan	84	83	78	95	85	84	79
Wiltshire	81	85	73	87	80	81	88
Windsor and Maidenhead	86	88	94	75	90	85	79
Wirral	81	84	88	94	86	81	74
Wokingham	86	90	80	90	89	85	93
Wolverhampton	82	88	82	100	84	79	66
Worcestershire	82	82	69	93	87	83	78
York	85	86	75	92	90	84	82

^* Not applicable Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds By ethnicity and area Summary

The data for year 1 pupils shows that:

• among White pupils, 91% met the expected standard in Wandsworth, compared with 75% in Leicester (a gap of 16 percentage points)
• figures for other ethnic groups are based on small numbers and so reliable generalisations can’t be made

5. By ethnicity and gender

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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	79	90	86	94
Asian	82	92	89	95
Bangladeshi	79	91	88	95
Indian	88	95	93	97
Pakistani	78	90	86	95
Asian other	84	92	90	95
Black	80	89	88	94
Black African	82	90	89	94
Black Caribbean	75	87	85	94
Black other	79	89	86	93
Chinese	89	94	92	96
Mixed	81	90	88	94
Mixed White/Asian	85	93	90	96
Mixed White/Black African	82	91	87	94
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	75	88	84	93
Mixed other	82	91	89	94
White	79	90	86	94
White British	79	90	86	94
White Irish	80	88	86	93
Gypsy/Roma	38	59	46	65
Irish Traveller	37	52	48	65
White other	78	89	84	92
Other	78	88	84	92
Unknown	59	72	66	77

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds By ethnicity and gender Summary

The data shows that:

• in 2017/18, 86% of girls and 79% of boys met the expected standard in phonics in year 1, while 94% of girls and 90% of boys had done so by the end of year 2
• girls were more likely than boys to meet the expected standard in every ethnic group in both year 1 and year 2
• girls from the Indian ethnic group were the most likely to meet the expected standard in year 1 (93%) and by the end of year 2 (97%)
• White Irish Traveller boys were the least likely to meet the expected standard in year 1 (37%) and by the end of year 2 (52%)
• in year 1, the biggest gap between girls and boys was in the White Irish Traveller and Black Caribbean groups – 48% of White Irish Traveller girls and 37% of boys met the standard (a gap of 11 percentage points), while 85% of Black Caribbean girls and 75% of boys met the standard (a gap of 10 percentage points)
• in year 2, the biggest gap between girls and boys was in the White Irish Traveller group, where 65% of girls and 52% of boys met the expected standard (a gap of 13 percentage points)
• the smallest gap between girls and boys was in the Chinese ethnic group – where 92% of girls and 89% of boys met the expected standard in year 1 (a gap of 3 percentage points), and 96% of girls and 94% of boys did so in year 2 (a gap of 2 percentage points)

6. By ethnicity, gender and eligibility for free school meals (FSM)

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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

	Boys		Girls
Ethnicity	Boys FSM	Boys Non-FSM	Girls FSM	Girls Non-FSM
All	65	81	75	88
Asian	74	83	85	90
Bangladeshi	76	80	86	88
Indian	77	88	89	93
Pakistani	73	79	84	87
Asian other	75	85	83	91
Black	75	81	85	89
Black African	78	83	87	89
Black Caribbean	69	78	80	87
Black other	75	80	82	88
Chinese	84	90	90	92
Mixed	69	84	79	90
Mixed White/Asian	74	87	80	91
Mixed White/Black African	73	84	80	89
Mixed White/Black Caribbean	65	79	77	87
Mixed other	70	85	80	90
White	62	81	73	88
White British	62	82	73	88
White Irish	57	84	58	90
Gypsy/Roma	34	39	45	47
Irish Traveller	36	38	45	50
White other	67	79	75	85
Other	72	79	78	85
Unknown	61	59	74	65

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds 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.

The data for year 1 pupils shows that:

• 90% of FSM-eligible girls from the Chinese ethnic group met the expected standard in phonics in 2017/18 – the highest percentage of any group of FSM-eligible children
• 34% of FSM-eligible White Gypsy/Roma boys met the expected standard (the lowest percentage of any group of FSM-eligible children)
• the biggest gap between FSM-eligible boys and girls was found in the Indian ethnic group, where 89% of girls and 77% of boys met the expected standard (a gap of 12 percentage points)
• the smallest gap between FSM-eligible pupils and those not eligible was found among White Irish Traveller boys and Black African and Bangladeshi girls (at 2 percentage points)
• the biggest gap between FSM-eligible pupils and those not eligible was found among White Irish girls (at 32 percentage points)

7. By ethnicity, gender and area

• Location: England
• Time period: 2017/18
• Source: Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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

	All		Asian		Black		Chinese		Mixed		White		Other
Geography	All boys	All Girls	Asian boys	Asian Girls	Black boys	Black Girls	Chinese boys	Chinese Girls	Mixed boys	Mixed Girls	White boys	White Girls	Other boys	Other Girls
Barking and Dagenham	78	86	85	89	80	91	80	100	78	89	73	81	64	92
Barnet	84	88	83	91	82	90	97	94	86	90	85	88	81	84
Barnsley	74	86	89	92	86	78	0	NA	67	86	74	86	83	100
Bath and North East Somerset	80	83	94	80	100	100	75	100	84	90	80	83	38	56
Bedford	78	82	77	85	75	90	100	100	73	83	79	81	100	82
Bexley	84	89	91	96	87	93	87	96	84	92	84	87	88	80
Birmingham	77	85	79	87	79	86	90	80	77	84	75	84	78	83
Blackburn with Darwen	79	85	82	90	64	100	80	0	91	84	77	81	80	90
Blackpool	78	84	94	93	67	NA	100	100	80	86	77	84	100	80
Bolton	78	86	84	89	73	81	71	80	85	80	77	86	69	87
Bournemouth	78	88	95	88	80	90	100	100	82	86	77	89	86	80
Bracknell Forest	82	90	91	93	86	100	100	100	89	98	80	89	100	50
Bradford	76	85	78	89	77	91	75	100	75	87	76	83	66	84
Brent	79	87	83	92	80	88	100	100	81	83	81	87	74	81
Brighton and Hove	78	87	70	89	80	96	78	100	83	85	79	88	64	83
Bristol, City of	80	86	74	89	79	87	100	100	80	82	80	86	83	81
Bromley	85	91	95	94	83	86	97	95	87	93	84	91	96	83
Buckinghamshire	81	88	82	87	82	90	90	78	77	92	81	88	90	88
Bury	78	86	80	84	77	90	89	80	80	85	78	87	71	92
Calderdale	81	84	80	83	86	86	80	83	84	86	81	83	67	83
Cambridgeshire	77	85	84	95	80	91	93	86	80	90	76	85	79	76
Camden	81	85	78	85	84	86	100	80	82	87	82	85	75	87
Central Bedfordshire	81	87	89	93	81	100	100	100	84	95	80	87	100	80
Cheshire East	82	87	78	91	64	80	50	67	76	93	82	87	100	89
Cheshire West and Chester	77	84	89	97	60	88	50	100	83	86	76	84	100	57
City of London
Cornwall	78	85	71	90	100	67	80	67	79	88	78	85	67	63
County Durham	81	88	87	68	100	100	67	88	89	94	80	88	76	83
Coventry	78	85	83	89	81	89	100	92	78	90	76	83	77	83
Croydon	81	88	86	94	83	88	87	100	81	86	79	87	78	90
Cumbria	78	86	67	82	50	100	50	60	88	87	78	86	67	89
Darlington	82	89	68	100	67	100	100	100	80	95	83	89	80	67
Derby	79	85	83	90	85	92	83	86	76	84	79	84	80	78
Derbyshire	78	85	78	86	85	80	73	89	82	90	77	85	81	80
Devon	80	88	79	83	89	78	63	100	84	90	80	88	73	84
Doncaster	75	83	84	81	71	84	88	50	70	88	75	83	60	84
Dorset	78	86	85	93	67	100	100	86	81	88	78	86	67	70
Dudley	77	83	79	83	68	80	100	89	69	83	78	83	80	70
Ealing	82	89	85	89	81	87	91	91	87	93	82	91	80	90
East Riding of Yorkshire	79	86	86	92	100	NA	NA	100	81	90	79	86	67	83
East Sussex	79	87	80	94	74	83	100	89	75	91	79	87	67	71
Enfield	78	83	80	90	75	82	94	100	88	87	77	83	82	85
Essex	81	86	85	92	79	93	86	88	82	87	81	86	88	84
Gateshead	81	87	91	96	81	88	83	80	85	100	80	87	81	84
Gloucestershire	78	85	87	88	80	79	75	100	77	82	78	85	73	77
Greenwich	80	88	87	95	83	91	85	97	82	91	76	84	86	88
Hackney	83	89	88	91	81	90	83	100	84	86	82	89	86	81
Halton	76	83	100	100	100	100	NA	NA	85	90	75	83	67	67
Hammersmith and Fulham	87	89	93	90	88	86	100	100	84	92	89	89	83	87
Hampshire	81	88	86	93	82	87	88	90	84	88	81	88	78	85
Haringey	84	87	90	90	81	86	93	95	84	90	87	88	79	82
Harrow	85	89	90	94	78	83	100	100	89	87	80	86	82	81
Hartlepool	77	88	81	100	67	100	100	100	100	90	76	88	75	60
Havering	82	88	84	94	86	88	100	100	80	92	82	87	77	96
Herefordshire, County of	80	89	100	100	50	89	100	100	95	84	80	89	33	83
Hertfordshire	82	87	87	90	77	90	93	86	83	88	81	87	81	83
Hillingdon	82	87	89	91	85	90	100	100	81	86	78	84	82	87
Hounslow	81	86	85	90	74	86	100	100	82	84	82	84	80	84
Isle of Wight	77	85	100	100	100	NA	100	100	77	95	78	85	0	50
Isles of Scilly
Islington	80	88	77	87	78	88	90	100	80	87	80	88	88	91
Kensington and Chelsea	85	88	80	89	84	88	100	75	82	89	87	87	85	90
Kent	78	86	84	93	88	91	85	90	85	90	77	85	77	85
Kingston upon Hull, City of	75	85	79	91	56	80	0	100	76	90	76	85	76	85
Kingston upon Thames	84	89	80	89	80	83	100	94	86	90	84	89	84	89
Kirklees	76	84	76	88	80	82	90	67	78	84	75	83	84	86
Knowsley	76	83	100	89	78	90	0	100	76	87	76	83	75	50
Lambeth	82	89	82	90	80	88	85	100	81	90	85	89	76	83
Lancashire	78	86	76	87	84	80	82	95	77	87	79	86	63	77
Leeds	76	83	73	86	76	84	91	85	76	86	77	83	70	80
Leicester	76	83	82	86	79	90	88	82	78	89	71	80	83	79
Leicestershire	81	86	87	92	82	82	88	86	84	87	81	85	80	67
Lewisham	80	87	83	93	76	87	88	93	84	84	85	87	76	93
Lincolnshire	78	85	89	97	59	93	92	100	84	91	78	85	76	94
Liverpool	74	83	77	87	82	86	85	90	75	82	75	83	67	84
Luton	79	85	82	88	79	89	83	100	78	86	77	82	89	76
Manchester	76	84	77	87	81	87	88	92	82	85	75	84	72	84
Medway	78	85	84	96	83	94	100	100	77	89	78	84	83	96
Merton	84	87	89	91	79	84	89	100	83	84	83	87	93	91
Middlesbrough	77	83	84	81	76	88	100	100	72	94	78	83	68	79
Milton Keynes	82	88	89	93	86	92	100	100	81	90	79	87	89	77
Newcastle upon Tyne	80	86	84	86	81	90	83	88	84	85	80	86	72	90
Newham	84	91	86	92	83	92	93	83	90	95	81	90	88	94
Norfolk	76	84	84	96	69	83	89	100	82	91	76	83	76	93
North East Lincolnshire	78	86	88	100	100	NA	100	0	71	81	79	87	67	100
North Lincolnshire	79	86	76	93	78	75	100	100	89	91	79	87	40	50
North Somerset	83	88	78	93	67	100	67	100	83	88	84	88	100	100
North Tyneside	81	86	83	88	86	79	92	100	94	88	81	87	60	33
North Yorkshire	78	84	74	79	54	90	67	100	82	82	79	84	69	77
Northamptonshire	79	86	82	93	79	90	100	100	80	85	79	86	75	73
Northumberland	82	88	100	95	50	NA	50	100	78	81	82	88	50	100
Nottingham	76	82	80	89	80	88	100	94	78	84	74	79	82	74
Nottinghamshire	76	84	86	89	72	97	84	87	79	83	76	84	68	65
Oldham	72	83	72	81	80	82	92	100	68	85	73	86	71	60
Oxfordshire	78	86	79	87	75	89	94	100	74	89	79	87	73	75
Peterborough	72	81	74	84	77	76	100	75	77	88	72	81	50	71
Plymouth	79	85	83	100	85	89	80	100	79	88	79	85	87	95
Poole	84	88	90	94	100	100	100	100	86	100	84	88	67	100
Portsmouth	76	82	76	88	67	85	78	100	80	81	77	81	67	91
Reading	78	88	83	90	77	92	71	100	81	84	78	87	73	100
Redbridge	82	88	84	92	79	87	100	90	86	87	78	85	72	88
Redcar and Cleveland	76	88	100	67	67	100	NA	100	78	80	76	89	100	0
Richmond upon Thames	86	89	86	92	68	88	100	95	86	89	86	90	82	86
Rochdale	78	86	78	88	80	84	80	100	77	87	78	86	86	83
Rotherham	78	84	73	92	78	84	100	90	85	87	78	84	73	71
Rutland	83	87	100	100	75	50	100	NA	67	100	83	87	100	0
Salford	80	85	89	92	88	90	100	100	86	92	78	84	82	89
Sandwell	75	83	79	85	76	84	90	67	74	88	74	82	69	70
Sefton	81	85	76	83	100	100	88	100	86	85	80	85	62	67
Sheffield	75	83	71	85	77	83	91	95	76	86	76	83	68	80
Shropshire	78	85	61	76	100	100	100	75	83	85	79	86	75	80
Slough	82	89	85	92	82	94	100	100	81	91	78	84	84	90
Solihull	83	89	86	91	78	95	100	100	84	84	83	89	85	85
Somerset	77	85	79	84	83	80	100	100	78	82	78	86	71	67
South Gloucestershire	82	88	88	91	83	78	91	100	78	87	82	88	85	70
South Tyneside	79	87	90	88	83	100	100	100	84	91	78	87	100	60
Southampton	77	86	83	91	90	91	100	91	81	89	76	86	80	70
Southend-on-Sea	79	85	83	92	92	93	80	100	80	87	79	84	56	100
Southwark	82	87	79	92	84	88	94	96	81	85	82	88	77	81
St. Helens	77	85	92	83	100	100	100	100	81	89	77	85	71	67
Staffordshire	82	88	82	88	78	67	100	100	76	88	82	88	95	75
Stockport	81	84	83	82	78	84	91	83	84	87	80	84	79	83
Stockton-on-Tees	81	86	83	90	67	93	80	100	90	89	81	86	71	50
Stoke-on-Trent	75	85	78	89	73	80	89	100	81	87	75	86	72	68
Suffolk	78	84	90	92	77	90	100	83	80	88	78	84	88	88
Sunderland	78	86	86	85	93	73	90	88	79	87	78	87	100	75
Surrey	81	87	89	92	88	88	88	96	83	91	80	87	88	94
Sutton	84	89	89	94	86	94	92	100	87	91	82	87	71	81
Swindon	78	86	79	93	82	95	100	100	81	86	77	85	86	88
Tameside	76	83	81	80	51	82	83	67	77	78	76	84	80	89
Telford and Wrekin	81	88	78	87	89	83	60	100	83	90	81	88	71	100
Thurrock	81	87	84	94	86	93	88	100	87	90	79	86	89	83
Torbay	82	90	78	93	67	0	0	100	93	94	82	90	75	100
Tower Hamlets	79	86	81	87	78	87	83	77	79	87	76	84	67	80
Trafford	83	90	83	90	75	85	100	86	76	84	84	92	79	84
Wakefield	74	82	71	87	73	87	80	100	84	87	74	82	85	95
Walsall	80	87	85	91	82	88	85	86	83	89	79	86	71	87
Waltham Forest	84	88	87	90	80	90	95	95	81	95	85	86	75	88
Wandsworth	86	90	87	89	80	87	89	100	88	88	89	93	84	87
Warrington	82	86	83	86	67	100	67	100	85	87	82	86	89	88
Warwickshire	80	88	86	94	82	97	100	81	80	90	80	87	67	87
West Berkshire	77	85	86	90	85	75	80	60	80	88	76	85	50	88
West Sussex	78	85	79	90	63	86	79	93	79	86	79	85	83	88
Westminster	84	89	88	90	79	92	100	92	84	93	85	88	83	86
Wigan	80	88	77	89	74	82	90	100	81	88	81	89	76	80
Wiltshire	78	85	86	83	66	86	88	86	76	84	78	85	94	84
Windsor and Maidenhead	82	90	84	93	86	100	100	50	92	88	81	89	76	83
Wirral	77	85	75	92	75	100	100	90	86	86	77	85	71	75
Wokingham	85	87	86	93	83	76	82	100	92	87	84	87	100	85
Wolverhampton	77	86	85	91	81	82	100	100	78	91	75	84	50	78
Worcestershire	80	85	78	87	58	81	89	100	89	85	80	85	68	92
York	81	88	84	88	83	50	80	100	89	91	81	88	70	100

Data withheld to protect confidentiality

Download table data (CSV) Source data (CSV)

Summary of Phonics results for 5 to 7 year olds By ethnicity, gender and area Summary

The data for year 1 pupils shows that:

• overall, girls were more likely than boys to meet the expected standard in phonics in all local authorities in 2017/18
• the biggest gap in attainment between White girls and boys was found in Oldham, where 86% of White girls and 73% of White boys met the expected standard (a gap of 13 percentage points)
• figures for other ethnic groups are based on small numbers and so reliable generalisations can’t be made

8. Methodology

Phonics data is submitted to the Department for Education by local authorities. Data was collected from 16,400 schools.

This data is matched to school census records to identify pupils’ ethnicities and free school meal eligibility.

The data only covers state-funded schools in England. This includes local authority maintained schools, academies and special schools. It excludes independent schools and alternative provision like home schooling.

Some pupils are eligible for free school meals (FSM) if their parents receive a qualifying benefit. We refer to these children as ‘FSM-eligible’.

FSM eligibility is used as an indicator of disadvantage. However, not all eligible parents apply for FSM and some families who do not reach the eligibility threshold may still be experiencing deprivation.

We refer to pupils who are not eligible for FSM or where eligibility is unknown as ‘non-FSM’.

Suppression rules and disclosure control

Figures for the Isles of Scilly and City of London are suppressed as these local authorities have one school each. The Department for Education (DfE) does not publish school-level information for phonics.

You can also read DfE’s statistical policy statement on confidentiality (PDF opens in a new window or tab) (PDF).

Rounding

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

Related publications

Schools, pupils and their characteristics: June 2018

Quality and methodology information

Further technical information

2018 key stage 1: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) – includes details of pupils who should and shouldn’t take the phonics check (page 24).

9. Data sources

Source

Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessments: England 2018

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 2018 key stage 1 national curriculum assessments. The results are used to monitor pupils’ attainment in reading, writing, maths and science.

10. Download the data

Key Stage 1 Phonics National - Spreadsheet (csv) 51 KB

Key Stage 1 Phonics Local Authority - Spreadsheet (csv) 539 KB

Publication release date: 29 July 2019

full page history

1. 29 July 2019 Updated with the latest available data (for 2017/18).

From: Department for Education

Previous editions:

1. 14 May 2019
2. 4 March 2018

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