Overview

• The plan to include a compulsory end-of-Year 8 reading assessment will be set out in the Schools White Paper, with design, data use and timing still under discussion, including a possible 2028–29 start.
• It would be the first statutory national assessment at Key Stage 3 since Year 9 SATs were scrapped in 2008.
• Results would be shared with the DfE and Ofsted and may be given to parents, but they would not appear in league tables and would not trigger intervention or early inspection, according to reports.
• Ministers cite literacy gaps and early disengagement, particularly among disadvantaged pupils, with recent figures showing a quarter of Year 6 pupils below the expected reading standard and about 30% below a grade 4 in GCSE English.
• Officials are weighing test content and delivery, with external marking expected and links to the curriculum and assessment review and pending SEND proposals, as sector voices question workload and whether Year 8 is the right timing.