Education secretary Bridget Phillipson defended the assessment of students’ reading skills after a union backlash over the expected introduction of mandatory tests for 13-year-olds.
The government is due to introduce compulsory reading tests at the end of Year 8 in England, under plans in the forthcoming Schools White Paper.
Ms Phillipson stopped short of confirming the plans but defended the principle of testing children’s literacy.
She said that too many students were leaving school without adequate levels of English and maths.
Concerns over rumoured reading test
The expected introduction of the tests has been criticised by unions.
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for school leaders’ union the NAHT, said introducing a statutory reading test in Year 8 “would be unnecessary, distracting and not a good use of money when funding is tight for schools”.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, warned that testing could result in the “punitive labelling of schools, narrowing curriculum and increased stress and workload for staff and students”.
But at a fringe event at the Labour conference in Liverpool today, Ms Phillipson said: “We know we’ve got particular challenge around transitioning from primary into secondary, and we know that often between Year 7 and Year 9 we see a big challenge around drop off in terms of children’s enjoyment at school, their ability to learn but also challenges around attendance.
“When it comes to reading it is self-evident that if you don’t have a good level of literacy, you are restricted in whether you can really benefit from the whole school curriculum.”
Testing ‘important for working-class kids’
Responding to unions’ concerns, the Labour deputy leadership contender said: “I do believe it is important, particularly for working-class kids, [that] we have a sense not just of where they are but where we need to step in and put more support in place if they’re not getting to where they need to be.
“And the reason I say that is that for many working-class kids, they get one chance at it and if we don’t get it right for them, they often never get a second chance to get to where they need to be.”
Ms Phillipson added: “So of course, there are considerations around the mental health of our children; I want to make sure that they’ve got a strong sense of wellbeing.
“Of course, I want to make sure that our staff are well supported, but my number-one priority is making sure that all children leave school well prepared for the world to come.”
She said that too many students are leaving school without the required level of English and maths, which “holds them back for the rest of their lives”.
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