KS1 English: Phonics & Decoding — Challenge
Stretch KS1 phonics challenge: trickier digraphs, trigraphs, consonant clusters, two-syllable words and alien words. Auto-marked greater depth — try it!
KS1 English: Phonics & Decoding — Challenge is a greater-depth stretch activity book for Years 1–2 phonics and decoding, mapped to the DfE National Curriculum. Five demanding challenges push confident learners through spotting trickier digraphs and trigraphs hidden inside longer words and consonant clusters, blending and segmenting words containing consonant clusters, splitting two-syllable words into their parts and joining syllables to build whole words, sorting tougher real words from made-up alien words, and reading harder common exception words. Challenges 1–4 hold auto-marked questions building to greater depth; Challenge 5 is an open reading and writing task — reading a longer story aloud, inventing and explaining an alien word, and explaining why a digraph or trigraph counts as one sound — with a full worked answer key. Includes teacher, parent and pupil notes and is fully SEND-friendly with high-contrast and large-text modes.
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These five challenges are the stretch set — harder phonics for when you want to push yourself. You will spot trickier digraphs and trigraphs, blend and spell words with consonant clusters, split two-syllable words, sort tougher real and alien words, then finish with an open reading and writing challenge, including inventing your own alien word. Answer on screen and I'll check it, or print the book and take your time on paper. Aim to explain why, not just what.
This is the greater-depth challenge workbook for KS1 phonics and decoding (Year 1), for confident learners who want a stretch. The questions are deliberately harder, with consonant clusters and trickier trigraphs, ending in an open reading and writing task. Encourage your child to sound out every letter carefully and to explain their thinking. Challenge 5 is open-ended — talk it through together and check it against the answer key.
A greater-depth, differentiated-up challenge book for DfE KS1 phonics and decoding: digraphs and trigraphs inside consonant clusters, blending and segmenting words with clusters, splitting and building two-syllable words, tougher real-vs-alien word discrimination, and harder common exception words. Challenges 1–4 hold auto-marked questions building to greater depth; Challenge 5 is an open reading and writing task including inventing and explaining an alien word. Ideal for high-attaining learners or Year 2 bridging.
Challenges 1–4 are checked together with the "Check my answers" button, which marks every response and gives feedback; typed answers must be spelled correctly to be marked right. Challenge 5 is open reading and writing and is not auto-marked — check it against the answer sheet notes.
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Curriculum mapping
- Stage
- KS1
- Year scope
- Mixed Years 1-2 exact content
- Age scope
- 5-7
- Term placement
- Set by the school or local curriculum sequence; the national curriculum does not prescribe a school term.
Framework: National curriculum in England - English
Bounded statutory mapping: Apply phonics to decode; recognise digraphs/trigraphs; blend clusters; read multisyllabic and common-exception words; read aloud.
Official sources: DFE-FRAMEWORK-3.4, DFE-ENGLISH-SEQUENCING, DFE-ENGLISH-Y1-WORD-READING, DFE-ENGLISH-Y2-WORD-READING, DFE-ENGLISH-APP1-Y1
