As a former primary school teacher and principal, I’ve never needed convincing of the importance of reading. That is why I back the introduction of a Year 8 reading test.

Reading has been central to Ark Schools’ work since we opened our first school nearly 20 years ago. Then, in 2020, we made it a strategic focus across the whole trust at every age and key stage.

This shift was supported by growing internal expertise, ensuring every teacher became a teacher of reading and could help pupils catch up and keep up. We’re now seeing the impact of this work across all stages.

Impact of whole trust reading focus

For example, in early years, the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving the early learning goal in word reading is 20 percentage points above disadvantaged Reception pupils nationally.

This trend continues into key stage 1, where our learners from disadvantaged backgrounds outperform their disadvantaged peers nationally in the phonics check by 19 percentage points (86 per cent compared with 67 per cent).

At KS2, 79 per cent of our pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved the expected standard in reading Sats - significantly above the national average of 63 per cent.

And at KS4, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are achieving 16 percentage points higher than their disadvantaged peers in grade 5 and above English outcomes.

How and when we test reading

So, how have we done this?

Key to this success is our commitment to knowing each child’s reading proficiency. We use a systematic approach to identify pupils’ strengths and areas for development.

This allows us to build a detailed picture of each young person’s reading journey, ensuring we can deploy the right interventions at the right time.

We use extensive testing: pupils in Years 3 to 6 and 8 to 10 sit a New Group Reading Test (NGRT) annually at the end of each year, while Year 2 and Year 7 pupils complete a baseline test at the start of the year, followed by an end-of-year assessment.

For those reading two years or more below their chronological age, an additional mid-year test is administered.

We use an online test that takes around 30 minutes to complete, but due to its adaptive nature, timings vary. Secondary students reading below 9 years 6 months also undergo phonics screening.

Collecting actionable data

This structured cadence of testing means we gather timely, actionable data throughout a pupil’s school career, not just at isolated points.

The process is thorough but efficient, allowing us to quickly identify pupils who need additional support.

We also use the data to look at trends across a school and across the trust. All leaders and teachers are trained to understand, interpret and use NGRT data.

This means deep analysis happens both centrally and in schools, informing next steps for individual pupils and shaping provision across the network as a whole.

Acting on the data

Assessment data enables us to pinpoint where pupils need specific help to catch up. We then put targeted interventions in place to address these needs.

For example, a pupil might need to go back to phonics and decoding, but using age-appropriate texts.

Another young person might have a secure phonics base and instead require an intervention designed to broaden their vocabulary and help them read multisyllabic words, through repeated exposure and recall of the most commonly occurring syllables.

Interventions require staff training and an ongoing commitment to build expertise, which involves time and cost. But given the importance of reading, we believe it’s a worthwhile investment - and our results show it’s paying off.

The government’s new Year 8 test will drive a much-needed focus on reading at secondary.

This, in tandem with a systematic approach to ensure children get the right support to catch up and keep up, should see students make more progress and have greater opportunity to reach their full potential.

Venessa Willms is managing director of Ark Schools

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