Since 2026, Victorian government schools have asked every Year 1 child to read a short list of words to their teacher in Term 3. It is called the Year 1 Phonics Check. Here is what the Year 1 Phonics Check in Victoria involves, what the score means, and how you can help at home without turning it into a test.
What is the Year 1 Phonics Check in Victoria?
The Phonics Check is a quick look at how well your child can use phonics: turning letters into sounds and blending those sounds into a word. Your child reads 40 words aloud to their teacher. Some are real words and some are made-up words. The teacher notes which ones your child reads correctly.
It is not a reading test in the wider sense. It doesn’t measure comprehension, vocabulary or how much your child loves books. It checks one important skill, decoding, at a point where there is still plenty of time to help.
All Victorian government schools are required to run the check with their Year 1 students (many schools call it Grade 1). It was piloted in 2025, when about four in five schools chose to run it early, and became mandatory in 2026. It replaced an older assessment, the English Online Interview. Catholic and independent schools set their own rules, so if your child goes to one, ask the school whether it uses the check.
When does it happen?
Schools run the check in weeks 4 to 6 of Term 3. In 2026 that was early to late August. For 2027, the same window is expected, so think of it as “a few weeks after the winter holidays”.
The check itself is short. The Victorian Government’s parent page says it generally takes 5 to 7 minutes, and that it is “designed to be straightforward and not stressful”. To your child, it may feel like reading a few words with their teacher.
What is in the check: 40 words
The teacher asks your child to read 40 words aloud. Twenty are real words and twenty are made-up words. The check is there to show whether your child can sound words out, using the letter–sound links taught from Prep (Foundation) onwards.
The made-up words are there for a good reason. A child may know a real word like cat by sight, but a made-up word like vop can only be read by sounding it out: v-o-p, “vop”. So the made-up words show whether your child can decode a word they have never seen. That is exactly the skill they will use on every new word in every new book.
You may see these called alien words on websites and worksheets. That nickname comes from England’s phonics check, which shows a little alien beside each made-up word. Victoria’s materials simply call them made-up words. Our post on alien words and why children read them explains more, with example words to try.
The phonics check score: what 28 out of 40 means
Your child’s score is the number of words they read correctly, out of 40. The Department of Education describes the results like this:
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 28 to 40 | At or above the expected level |
| 0 to 27 | Below the expected level |
A score below 28 is common. In 2025, the first year schools could run it, 84.9% of Year 1 students took part and 59.1% of Year 1 students reached the expected level. Plenty of children are still on their way in the middle of Year 1.
Many UK websites talk about a “pass mark” for England’s check, which is a different test with its own threshold. For a Victorian child, the number to know is 28.
What happens if my child scores below 28?
Nothing dramatic. The Victorian Government’s words are: “If the Check shows your child is below the expected level, teachers decide the best ways to help them learn.” That might mean extra practice in a small group, more time on particular sounds, or simply keeping a closer eye on progress.
There is also an optional Phonics Check Reassessment in Year 2, for children who didn’t reach 28 the year before or who missed the check. It uses the same window in Term 3.
Your child’s teacher will share the result with you, usually through normal reporting such as a parent–teacher meeting. If you’d like to know which sounds your child found hard, ask. That tells you exactly what to practise.
How to practise at home, without drilling
The best preparation for the Phonics Check is the everyday phonics your child is already doing at school, plus a little at home. You don’t need to memorise word lists. In fact, memorising misses the point: the check is designed to show decoding, not memory.
- Quick sounds. Show a few letters and letter pairs (sh, ee, ck) and let your child say the sound for each. Keep it to a minute or two.
- Sound it out, then say it. Write a short word. Your child says each sound, then blends them into the word. If they get stuck, say the sounds a little faster together until the word “pops out”.
- Add a made-up word or two. Turn it into a game: “This is a word from planet Zog. What does it say?” Choose made-up words that only use sounds your child has learnt.
- Read a decodable book. Finish with a book written with the sounds your child knows, so the practice turns into real reading. Our free decodable books in Phonics Plus order are a good fit.
If you’d like to see how your child goes with a full list of 40, KidStudy’s Phonics Check practice uses the same mix of 20 real and 20 made-up words. It is practice in the style of the check, not the check itself, so treat the score as a guide to which sounds to revisit.
Ten minutes is plenty. Our post on phonics at home in 10 minutes a day has a fuller routine, and if your child finds the “say it” step hard, see what to try when a child can’t blend sounds yet.
Why Victoria introduced the check
Victoria has changed how reading is taught in its schools. Victorian government schools began moving to systematic synthetic phonics in 2025, and from the start of 2027 they must teach at least 25 minutes a day in Prep to Year 2. “Systematic” means sounds are taught step by step in a set order; “synthetic” means children learn letter sounds and then blend them into words.
The Phonics Check gives teachers a clear, quick picture of how that teaching is landing for each child in Year 1, while there is still lots of time to help. The Department also offers schools a set of lesson plans called Phonics Plus, which teach the sounds in a set order. Schools may use them, but they don’t have to.
A maths check is coming too: our guide to the Year 1 Numeracy Check explains what Victoria has announced so far.
Questions parents ask
What is a good score in the Year 1 Phonics Check?
A score of 28 to 40 out of 40 is described as “at or above expected level”. A score of 0 to 27 is “below expected level”, which means your child needs a bit more time and help with decoding, not that they have failed.
When is the Phonics Check in 2026 and 2027?
Schools run it in weeks 4 to 6 of Term 3. In 2026 that was in August. Ask your child’s school for its exact days if you’d like to know.
How long does the Phonics Check take?
The Victorian Government says it generally takes 5 to 7 minutes. Your child reads 40 words aloud to their teacher.
Should my child practise the made-up words?
A little, as a game, is fine and can be fun. The aim is to practise sounding out and blending, not to learn a list. Choose made-up words that only use sounds your child has been taught.
Is the Victorian check the same as the UK phonics screening check?
They are similar in style: both use real and made-up words read aloud. But they are separate checks with their own word lists and their own benchmarks. For Victoria, the benchmark is 28 out of 40.
Does my child’s school have to do the Phonics Check?
All Victorian government schools must run it with Year 1 students. Catholic and independent schools make their own decisions, so check with your school.
Sources
- Victorian Year 1 Phonics Check, Victorian Government
- Assessment of student achievement: policy, Department of Education, Policy and Advisory Library
- Phonics: a guide for parents and carers, Victorian Government
- Curriculum programs: policy, Department of Education, Policy and Advisory Library
- Victorian schools embracing phonics, new data shows, Premier of Victoria, May 2025
