Education Secretary confirms all pupils will sit a mandatory reading test at age 13 to drive up reading standards
A national focus on reading at the start of secondary school will drive up standards to ensure every young person can achieve and thrive, as the government announces a mandatory reading test for all children at age 13.
The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will tell a major schools conference today that for millions of young people, reading is “the passport to the rest of their lives,” with too many currently held back from the rest of their education – and the wider world – by an inability to read.
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All pupils will take the test in year 8 – marking a significant step forward in driving up standards in core literacy skills which will help young people to unlock everything else school has to offer.
This new measure will set clear expectations to support parents, teachers and pupils alike – identifying gaps early and targeting help for those who need it, while enabling the most able to go further.
Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts conference today, the Education Secretary will set out the core tenets of the government’s forthcoming schools white paper, which will lay the path for national renewal to take schools into the 2030s.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
Children’s reading journey begins in the earliest years, and the government will build on the success of the phonics programme, setting a new ambition for 90% of children to be meeting the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check.
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The government is expanding its support in reception year through the English Hubs programme, putting a laser-focus on the children that struggle the most, alongside reforms to boost the quality of education in the early years, and wider family support through Best Start Family Hubs.
Chief Executive, Lift Schools, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, said:
Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, Jonathan Douglas, said:
Data from the new statutory assessment will be made available to Ofsted and government, but individual schools’ results will not be published – as with the phonics check. Schools will make children’s results available to parents.
The test will provide a snapshot in time and the government’s expectation is that it is not an assessment children need to revise for.
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The plans build on the Government’s National Year of Reading, which will unite parents, schools, libraries and businesses to get people reading and help reverse the decline in reading for pleasure among young people.
The government is already supporting an improvement in reading and writing skills, including through new training for teachers in secondary school to support young people to read, and a £1million fund to support schools with the greatest need to purchase reading programmes and other resources to support struggling readers.
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