Tracking Progress That Actually Means Something:
In an age of spreadsheets, data dashboards and pupil progress meetings, phonics assessment has become noisy. Some schools are swamped with paperwork. Others rely on subjective notes or third-party tools that charge per pupil. But what if there was a simple, structured way to assess phonics knowledge across the school, created by teachers, for teachers? That’s exactly what Jolly Assessments offers.
Jolly Assessments was developed by experienced educators to help schools track how well children are progressing in phonics. It focuses on what matters most: whether children can apply their phonics knowledge confidently and consistently in reading and writing.
It’s designed to be:
Schools can track progress at three levels: pupil, class and whole school. The results can be used to inform teaching, identify gaps, and support intervention planning.
Jolly Assessments isn’t a system that requires hours of training or technical setup. It’s a ready-to-use toolset that works in busy classrooms.
Teachers have enough to do. This helps them get the information they need without sacrificing teaching time.
Although designed to sit alongside Jolly Phonics, the assessment framework can be used by any school, regardless of the phonics programme in place. It can act as a neutral progress tool for schools using Read Write Inc, Little Wandle or other schemes.
This makes it especially useful for schools reviewing their provision, supporting EAL learners, or trying to compare outcomes across different year groups or classes.
Assessments can often feel out of step with what’s actually happening in the classroom. Jolly Assessments avoids that trap. The content directly maps to how phonics is taught — letter sounds, blending, segmenting, tricky words and spelling patterns — and is structured across Reception and Year 1.
Assessments are termly and progressive, helping to:
And it ties in directly with Jolly Classroom, meaning the same language and learning structure appears in both teaching and tracking.
Jolly Assessments is available for a flat annual fee of £125 per school. There are no hidden costs or per-pupil fees.
That means:
Many schools use tools like Phonics Tracker to log phonics progress digitally. While useful for some, these systems can be more complex, require training, and charge per pupil — which adds up quickly in larger schools or trusts.
Here’s how Jolly Assessments compares:
For schools looking for a straightforward, cost-effective way to monitor phonics progress without extra workload or subscriptions, Jolly Assessments offers clarity and ease with evidence you can trust.
When inspectors arrive, schools often scramble to demonstrate pupil progress in phonics. Jolly Assessments gives schools the evidence they need:
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