Bridget Phillipson ‘ready to take on unions’ over year 8 reading tests

Education secretary says mandatory test needed to tackle shocking outcomes' for many working-class children

Bridget Phillipson has said she is ready to take on the unions in a battle over compulsory reading tests for 13-year-olds and more extracurricular activities for all children to prevent them becoming stuck in a doom loop of detachment" from school.

The education secretary said that teaching unions, who have argued the tests were unnecessary and distracting", should really think carefully" about whether they could justify standing in the way of tackling the shocking outcomes" that exist for many working-class children.