8th October 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A new test introduced to measure six year olds’ ability to read aloud has been failed by four out of ten pupils. Students are required to read aloud a mixture of 40 real and made-up words, which they have to sound out using the phonics system. Education ministers introduced the test in order to identify pupils who needed further help learning to read.
However, the test has received widespread criticism from teaching unions, who say that it risks doing long term damage to children’s reading. Teachers have highlighted the fact that the test only looks at children’s ability to decode words using a single method, phonics, rather than their ability to read overall. One of the biggest issues is that bright students who use a different method of reading are trying to read the made-up word as real ones and are being marked down for it.
The first official results show that 62% of girls pass the test compared with 54% of boys. Only 44% of pupils from poorer backgrounds met the required standard. Mary Bousted, head of the Association of Teacher and Lecturers, said that the test wastes time and money telling teachers what they already know about children’s reading ability. She added that if the government continues to make phonics the only method used to assess students and teach them to read, it risks doing long term damage to their education.