Reading Assessment Programme

secondary schools

show primary

Assess pupils' reading skills in Key Stage 3

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1,300+

schools trust our Reading Assessment Programme

1.1m+

reading assessments completed

270,000+

pupils assessed

Years 1-8

adaptive assessment spanning from primary to secondary

Why secondary schools need online reading assessment

FFT's Reading Assessment Programme is a simple and effective online reading assessment designed to assess pupils' decoding skills (word reading), reading fluency (Words Correct per Minute) and reading comprehension.

Save time - move beyond paper

Remove manual marking and data entry. Assessments calculate results instantly and connect seamlessly to your MIS.

Prepare for the Year 8 Reading Test

Regular assessments with clear reports help secondary schools get ahead of the DfE's mandatory Year 8 reading test.

*DfE focus on year 8 reading

Close the KS2 gap

Only 75% of pupils met the expected reading standard at KS2. FFT's Reading Assessment Programme gives a fast, reliable way to baseline Year 7 starters and monitor reading progress in Year 7 and Year 8.

*DfE, 2025 KS2 National Tests

A complete KS3 reading assessment covering:

Comprehension

New

Reading comprehension assessment gives you a clear, reliable picture of each pupil's ability to engage with text: identifying key ideas, drawing inferences, and interpreting meaning with confidence. Helping teachers track progress, spot gaps early, and shape the teaching that makes a real difference.

Decoding

The Decoding Check assesses how confidently pupils can apply the GPC knowledge they’ve been taught in their most recent phonics block. It measures their ability to decode words accurately and also checks their recognition of Common Exception Words.

Fluency

The Reading Fluency Check gives teachers a quick, reliable way to understand how fluently pupils can read connected text. Pupils read a short, one‑minute passage while any errors are logged, allowing the system to calculate their Words Correct Per Minute.

Reading Assessment Programme

FFT's Adaptive Reading Test

The UK’s first adaptive reading assessment for comprehension, decoding and fluency - trusted by 1,300 schools

Standardised Scores (70-130) and Reading Ages (5-14) for comprehension, decoding and fluency

Suitable for all KS3 pupils including those reading at a primary level - EAL, SEND, high-mobility and mid-year arrivals

Results available instantly - no batch processing, no waiting, no manual input

Take a look

Reports on each pupil

Instant feedback after each assessment showing key insights to help inform next steps.

Reading attainment levels

Identify and compare pupils' comprehension, decoding and fluency abilities at a glance with easy-to-interpret colour coding, Standardised Scores and Reading Fluency Ages.

Reporting on a whole school, class, group or individual level

Instant analysis at a quick glance.

Join a free webinar

We'll walk you through the Reading Assessment Programme with our experts on hand to answer any questions you may have about the programme.

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What schools say about FFT’s Reading Assessment Programme

Streamline our approach to supporting students

FFT’s Adaptive Reading Test has allowed us to quickly understand our students’ literacy needs better. It clearly follows the Science of Reading by giving a standardised score for both decoding and fluency. We are then able to streamline our approach to supporting students. Whilst the majority of the students we have assessed so far do need support in their decoding and re-teaching of GPCs, some students only require regular reading practice to improve their overall fluency, supporting the reduction in their cognitive load to comprehend the text.

It is fantastic that the test is adaptive, responding to students’ strengths and areas for improvement, so they are able to feel a sense of success, despite any difficulties. The reading passages at the end are therefore accessible to each individual student.

Catriona Reardon

Deputy SENDCo and Literacy Lead, Finham Park School

FAQs

We've answered some common questions about FFT's Reading Assessment Programme. If your question is not answered, please get in touch.

FFT's Reading Assessment Programme is an adaptive online reading assessment for Year 7 and Year 8 pupils. It measures comprehension, decoding and reading fluency — providing instant standardised scores (70–130) and reading ages (5–14) without manual marking or paper tests.

It's the only UK adaptive reading assessment spanning Year 1 to Year 8, making it ideal for secondary schools, all-through schools and MATs wanting a consistent measure across phases.

The Reading Assessment Programme assesses comprehension, decoding accuracy and reading fluency, providing standardised scores and reading ages for all three. For comprehension, pupils are assessed on their understanding of sentence and passage level content, targetting their knowledge of vocabulary and relevant reading sub-domains such as inference, summarisation, comparison and synthesis, etc.

An optional phonics diagnostic is also available for Year 7 and Year 8 pupils with unidentified GPC gaps, identifying the specific graphemes and phonemes not yet secured to inform targeted re-teaching.

The DfE has announced a mandatory statutory reading assessment for all Year 8 pupils (launching 2027/28), measuring fluency and comprehension. FFT's Reading Assessment Programme helps secondary schools prepare in three ways: it gives you a reliable Year 7 baseline so you can track progress through to Year 8; it builds a longitudinal record of reading development automatically; and it gives school leaders the standardised scores and reading ages needed to evidence progress confidently ahead of the statutory test.

Yes. Reading ages and standardised scores from the Reading Assessment Programme complement the attainment and progress data already in FFT Aspire, helping secondary schools build a fuller picture of each student's academic profile. MAT Assessment Leads can use the Reading Assessment Programme's MAT dashboard alongside Aspire to monitor reading trends across all schools in the trust from one place.

Getting started is straightforward and most schools are up and running very quickly. Here's how it works:

Sign up or log in to the Reading Assessment Programme
Import your classes using a CSV file to connect directly to your MIS - this takes under 10 minutes
Share the assessment link with students - they can complete it on any laptop, PC or tablet with a browser, no app download needed
Results appear instantly in your dashboard the moment each student finishes

Have another question? Please get in touch and we will answer you directly.

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