How Insight evaluates Phonics Screening Check scores
Updated
Insight evaluates Phonics Screening Check scores against a threshold mark to show whether pupils have met the expected standard.
For the 2026–2027 academic year, Insight uses a provisional threshold of 32 out of 40 until the official threshold is published.
Why is the threshold provisional?
The DfE confirms the threshold for each year’s Phonics Screening Check after the check has taken place.
The threshold can vary because the difficulty of the check may differ slightly from year to year. For example, despite always being set to 32 before this, the official threshold for the 2025-2026 check was 31 out of 40. This does not confirm what the threshold will be for 2026-2027.
Until the new threshold is published, Insight needs a provisional threshold to evaluate scores and provide attainment analysis against any practice phonics tests you might perform.
Why does Insight use 32?
Insight has chosen to use 32 out of 40 as a cautious starting point, rather than assuming that the previous year’s lower threshold will apply again.
This is a provisional reporting threshold, not a prediction of the official threshold.
Before the official threshold is confirmed, evaluations and percentages based on it should be treated as provisional. A pupil’s recorded score remains the same, but whether that score is evaluated as meeting the expected standard may change.
By using 32 rather than 31, we also avoid being over optimistic about any practice outcomes as a prediction of the outcomes against the official phonics screening check in June 2027.
What happens when the official threshold is published?
We will check the official threshold and update Insight’s evaluation of the current year’s statutory Phonics Screening Check scores if needed.
For example, if the official threshold is confirmed as 31, a pupil who scored 31 will then be evaluated as meeting the expected standard. This may increase the percentage meeting the standard in your analysis of practice tests.
You do not need to re-enter pupils’ scores because the threshold changes.
Historical statutory results will continue to be evaluated against the official threshold for the year in which the check was taken.
When will the 2027 threshold be confirmed?
The DfE currently plans to publish the 2027 threshold on Monday 28 June 2027.
See the DfE Phonics Screening Check assessment and reporting arrangements for the latest information.
Using reports before the threshold is confirmed
You can use Insight to review recorded scores before the official threshold is published. However, any evaluation or percentage meeting the expected standard is provisional.
Pupils scoring close to the threshold may still benefit from additional support, regardless of their provisional evaluation.
Sending results to parents in parent reports
Before sending parent reports containing statutory Phonics Screening Check results, wait until the official threshold has been published and check that Insight reflects it.
Check both the stated threshold and the pupil’s evaluated outcome in the report.
If you created and approved or downloaded reports before the threshold was confirmed, check them again and Update them where needed before sending them to parents.
Practice phonics assessments
Practice scores can help you identify pupils’ strengths and areas for support, but they do not establish whether a pupil has met the standard in the current year’s statutory check.
If your school uses a separate practice assessment or a customised mark scheme, its evaluation thresholds may differ from those used for statutory results. Contact Insight support if you are unsure which thresholds apply.
