Practise the Phonics Screening Check Online — Free, No Sign-up
Phonics Check Buddy lets your child practise the real phonics screening check format in your browser — free, with no login, no ads and nothing to download. It works on a phone on the school run or the sofa at home.
How it works
It couldn’t be simpler. Your child reads each word aloud from the screen; you tap the green tick if they read it correctly or the red cross if not. The app handles the pacing, keeps score, and shows a friendly monster for every made-up alien word, exactly as the real check does. At the end you get a score out of 40 and a list of words worth another look.
Why practise online?
- It’s the real format. Two sections of 20, alien words then real words, drawn straight from the official papers.
- No printing. No PDFs to download or cut up — just open it and go.
- No sign-up, no paywall. Unlike many sites, there’s no account, no email, and nothing hidden behind a subscription.
- Adult marking. You mark each word, so there’s no unreliable microphone guessing whether a five-year-old said it right.
- Instant feedback. A clear score and a breakdown of real versus alien words.
Choose your paper
You can practise any official paper from 2012 to 2026 — thirteen papers in all (the check was cancelled nationally in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, so there’s no paper for those two years). A good routine is to warm up on an older paper and save the most recent 2026 paper for closer to the check. Jump straight into any year:
Want to go further back? Every paper from 2012 to 2026 — with full word lists — is on the past papers page.
Is it really free?
Yes — completely, and it always will be. There’s no trial, no “sign up to see your results”, and no premium tier. Every paper, every practice run, the monster stickers your child collects, and the adult review at the end are free for everyone. If you’d like to support the app you can make a small donation, but that’s purely a thank-you: it never unlocks anything, because there’s nothing locked. We think a tool that helps children read should be open to every family.
Practise on any device
The app is built to work on whatever you have to hand. On a phone the buttons are big enough to tap one-handed while your child sits next to you; on a tablet the words are lovely and large; on a laptop you can even use the keyboard (the right arrow or “c” marks a word correct, the left arrow or “x” marks it wrong). It also remembers your history and stickers between visits, all stored privately in your own browser — nothing is uploaded anywhere.
What makes practice actually work
Little and often is the secret. Two or three short sessions a week, each just five or ten words, will do more than one long push — and it keeps the whole thing feeling like a game rather than a test. Mix real and alien words as the check does, let your child sound words out at their own pace, and make a fuss of the effort rather than the score. The results screen highlights any words worth another look, so you always know exactly what to revisit next time.
Keep it light
Short sessions, plenty of praise, and stop while it’s still fun. If you’d like more ideas, see our ten ways to help at home. And if you’re still getting your head around the check itself, start with the parent’s guide.