175,000 11-year-olds starting secondary school are unable to read properly, Ofsted head warns

On Sep 2, 2022

Almost 175,000 children are starting secondary school this term unable to read properly, the head of Ofsted has warned.

Chief inspector of schools Amanda Spielman said a quarter of Year 7 pupils will struggle to keep up in lessons because they have not grasped the basics.

Disrupted lessons during the pandemic means these youngsters are still trying to catch up on skills they should have learned at primary school.

But they face further barriers because phonics teaching is not ‘necessarily expected’ of secondary school staff, who usually anticipate that Year 7s are fluent readers.

Pictured: Chief inspector of schools Amanda Spielman said almost 175,000 children are starting secondary school this term unable to read properly

Mrs Spielman has called for a renewed focus on reading in primary and secondary schools. It comes as national curriculum tests for 11-year-olds this year revealed that 26 per cent failed to reach the expected standard in reading.

The proportion was down one percentage point on 2018/19, when Sats were last taken, but up from 25 per cent in 2017/18.

This means that tens of thousands of children still cannot grasp unfamiliar words, or they read at such slow speeds they lose track of the meaning of sentences.

Mrs Spielman told the Daily Mail: ‘I am worried about children who are still struggling to read when they start secondary school.

Tens of thousands of children still cannot grasp unfamiliar words, or they read at such slow speeds they lose track of the meaning of sentences

‘This year’s tests showed that nearly 175,000 pupils didn’t meet the expected standard in reading.

‘That means around a quarter of all Year 7s still have a reading age of below 11. This really matters.

‘Children who can’t read well find it difficult to keep up in secondary school. Reading is an essential part of almost every subject.’

The Department for Education said: ‘Reading attainment figures at the end of primary school increased slightly this year… but we know there is more to do, which is why we have set an ambition for 90 per cent of children to reach the expected standards in reading, writing and maths by 2030.’

£3,000 TO LIVE OUTSIDE HALLS

A TOP university could solve an accommodation shortage by offering students up to £3,000 to live in another city.

The University of Manchester has drawn up plans to give students a £100 weekly stipend to commute into the city from Liverpool or Preston.

The offer will be made only if administrators fail to convince 350 students to shun university halls in exchange for a £2,500 lump sum.

Rising A-level pass rates during the pandemic mean more students than ever are hunting for rooms.

The deal is offered on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

The 30 weeks in a university year means the annual stipend for commuters would be £3,000.

A university spokesman said last night that no students had yet been offered the latest deal.