We are facing a crisis in reading for pleasure especially in secondary aged children despite the weight of evidence supporting reading for pleasure as a critical predictor of a huge range of positive life outcomes.

Introducing a mandatory year 8 reading assessment will do nothing to encourage reading for pleasure and may even put some readers off. It will increase teacher workload when they could be directing their efforts towards evidence-based interventions already shown to improve engagement. It is especially crushing to see this policy proposed when 2026 is supposed to be a Year of Reading.

As educators, academics and creators working hard to instil and develop a love of reading, we do not support this ill-advised proposed year 8 reading test. Encourage reading for pleasure, don’t destroy it.