The education secretary plans new reading tests and mandatory extracurricular activities to close the gap for working-class children
As reported by the Guardian, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said she is prepared to confront teaching unions over plans for compulsory reading tests for 13-year-olds and a wider push to ensure all pupils have access to extracurricular activities. She said the measures were vital to stop young people “falling into a doom loop of detachment” from school.
Under proposals linked to a curriculum and assessment review due next week, every Year 8 pupil in England will take a new mandatory reading test, with schools also expected to carry out informal checks in writing and maths.
Phillipson highlighted that one in four children overall – and one in three from disadvantaged backgrounds – are failing to meet literacy standards.
She urged unions, who have criticised the tests as “unnecessary and distracting”, to “think carefully” before opposing efforts to address what she called “shocking outcomes” for many working-class children.
Alongside the new tests, all schools will be required to provide a core programme of enrichment activities across five areas: sport, arts and culture, outdoor pursuits, civic participation and life skills such as cooking and financial management.
Currently, only around two-thirds of secondary pupils take part in any school-based extracurricular activity, despite the link to improved progression into work and further education. Ofsted will check whether schools are meeting expectations as part of their regular inspections.
Phillipson said she was concerned that too many young people “lack a sense of purpose or belonging”, and that guaranteeing every pupil the chance to take part in a broader range of activities could help address that.
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