New mandatory year 8 reading test to boost attainment in core skills, test forms central part of the forthcoming Schools White Paper – delivering on Labour’s plan for national renewal by unlocking opportunities for young people. Education Secretary sets new ambition for 90% of pupils to reach expected standard in phonics screening check.
Today, Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, has come out in support of a new 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.
Labour’s 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.
It comes as data shows that in South East, only 51% of white working-class pupils met the expected standard in reading, compared to 81% of their non-disadvantaged peers. With only 56% of children in Portsmouth meeting the reading standard.
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.
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.
Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts conference today, the Education Secretary will set out the core tenets of the Labour 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: “There is one barrier in particular I worry is locking young people out. Because before a child can even begin to engage in everything their school has to offer, they must first be able to read.”
“When they can’t, the sense of dejection sets in. Engagement seeps away. Attendance follows.”
“Reading holds the key to so much. There is no foundation more important.”
“So we will introduce a statutory assessment in year 8 to assess reading fluency and comprehension.”
“We’ll test progress at this key point when too many children either spin their wheels or fall further behind.”
“Invaluable data for schools to make sure no child’s need for more, for a helping hand, can slip through the cracks.”
MP for Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin said: “As a former teacher in our city I know the Tories vision for education excluded so many children in Portsmouth, it’s no wonder so many families lost faith in school.”
“Labour’s schools white paper will restore that faith – including and engaging those children once again, ensuring a rich, broad school experience and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive.”
“There’s no better place to start than with reading, a crucial skill that sets young people up to leave school ready for work and ready for life.”
Children’s reading journey begins in the earliest years, and the government will build on the success of the phonics programme, founded by the previous Labour government, setting a new ambition for 90% of children to be meeting the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check.
Labour 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.
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.
The plans build on Labour’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 Labour 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.
