Phillipson vows to fight unions over new compulsory reading tests at 13

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 children to stop them becoming "stuck in a doom loop of detachment" from school.

- Pippa Crerar

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.

In an interview with the Guardian, in which she said her deputy leadership campaign was "just the beginning" of her efforts to help secure Labour a second term, Phillipson said that one in four children overall, and one in three disadvantaged children, don't meet required literacy standards.

In response to the curriculum and assessment review published next week, there will be a new mandatory reading test for year 8 pupils in an attempt to tackle underachievement by working-class children. Schools will also be expected to informally assess writing and maths.

There will be a new requirement on every school in England to offer core enrichment activities to all pupils in five areas including sports, arts and culture, but also outdoor activities, civic engagement and life skills.

Only two thirds of secondary school pupils took part in any extracurricular activities through school last year. Ofsted will consider whether schools are meeting expectations.