The proportion of pupils meeting the government’s “expected standard” in their year 1 phonics screening check has edged up again, but remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Government data published today shows 80 per cent of pupils taking the test for the first time met the standard this year, up from 79 per cent last year and 75 per cent in 2022.

But achievement rates were between 81 and 82 per cent between 2015 and 2018.

The phonics check is first taken in year 1. Those that do not meet the expected standard take it again in year 2.

The proportion of pupils meeting the standard by the end of year 2 now stands at 89 per cent, the same as last year and up from 87 per cent in 2022.

However, again, this remains below the pre-pandemic norm of between 91 and 92 per cent.

Girls continue to outperform boys. This year, 84 per cent of girls met the expected standard in year 1, compared to 77 per cent of boys.

The gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers stands at 16 percentage points, the same as last year.

There has been a slight increase in the proportion of pupils with special educational needs meeting the expected standard, from 42 per cent in 2023 to 44 per cent.

Among pupils with SEN, 20 per cent of those with an education, health and care plan and 52 per cent of those receiving SEN support met the standard in year 1.

Summer-born pupils remain less likely to meet the government’s benchmark. Seventy-three per cent of pupils born in August met the standard this year, compared to 86 per cent of those born in September.

This is the first year that phonics results have been published on their own, following the scrapping of key stage 1 SATs. Last year’s tests for seven-year-olds were the last to be statutory.