Year 8 state school pupils in England could face mandatory reading tests

If new reading test is adopted it would mean England’s state school pupils take a compulsory national test in seven out of 14 school years. Photograph: Robert Daly/Getty Images

Pupils at state schools in England will face new reading tests in an attempt to tackle under-achievement by white working-class children.

The government’s forthcoming white paper on schools is to include a new test of reading ability for pupils in year 8, when they are aged 12 or 13, in an effort to encourage secondary schools to improve their teaching.