Labour welcomes literacy tests

The Labour Party has given a cautious welcome to government plans to establish literacy tests for first- and sixth-class primary school students.

Party spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan said literacy and numeracy tests could be very helpful, but resources must be put in place to deal with any problems highlighted by such tests.

“There’s nothing wrong with testing for literacy and numeracy,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

“I think it’s important that we know where children are at and that we address problems early on in the education system. You can’t just test children and then leave them. You’ve got to have a plan to address their problems.”