Four-in-10 children 'struggle to read basic words' Experts claim that a lack of male role models at home and school may be turning boys off reading at a young age. But ministers insisted the new assessment would enable schools to pick out pupils falling behind at the start of compulsory education - giving them targeted catch-up lessons. Elizabeth Truss, the Education Minister, said: "The reading check helps teachers identify those pupils who need extra help in learning to read. Many thousands of children will now receive the extra support they need to develop a love of reading. Teachers" leaders have threatened to boycott the assessment - estimated to cost more than £8m a year in administration costs - claiming that it damaged children's confidence. Under Coalition reforms, 592,000 children in state schools are expected to complete the check using phonics - the back-to-basic method of reading in which words are broken down into constituent parts. Controversially, the 40-word assessment - sat under teachers" supervision - includes a number of made-up terms such as "voo," "terg" and "bim" to test pupils" decoding skills. According to figures, 58 per cent of pupils met the expected standard this summer. A further two per cent of children were not entered for the test. Among girls, the number passing rose to 62 per cent, while just 54 per cent of boys reached the national standard. Some 70 per cent of pupils from Indian backgrounds and 69 per cent of Chinese children passed the test - the highest-performing ethnic groups. Numbers fell as low as 37 per cent among white British boys eligible for free meals. But teachers have criticised the test, insisting that schools should be given the freedom to use different reading styles in addition to phonics. Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the "top-down imposition of phonics across the board is wholly the wrong approach." "With the administering of the test costing upwards of £8m, the Government's judgment on value for money in times of austerity must be challenged," she said. Five is too young to fail. This check is simply upsetting and reducing many pupils" confidence. We need to be encouraging reading for pleasure, not putting children off the whole process by reducing it to yet another target. In a separate disclosure, the DfE also published the results of assessments taken by children at the age of seven after two full years of compulsory education. Standards increased in the five core disciplines of reading, writing, speaking and listening, maths and science. But 17 per cent of pupils were still struggling to write to the desired standard and 13 per cent were unable to read. Again, girls significantly outperformed boys.