Get the facts on international education performance

3 June 2021

Telegraph columnist wrongly claims literacy at the lowest level in UK history

A Telegraph article was wrong to say literacy was at its lowest level in history, and that every international league table puts the UK near bottom for literacy and numeracy. …

Telegraph columnist wrongly claims literacy at the lowest level in UK history

14 February 2020

Scotland’s maths and science scores are falling in international tests but rising in national tests

Boris Johnson’s claims about education in Scotland are not all quite right.

Scotland’s maths and science scores are falling in international tests but rising in national tests

17 July 2019

Does the UK have the best education system in the world?

This claim is based on a survey of public perceptions of different educational systems. It is not good data to objectively rank education systems.

Does the UK have the best education system in the world?

10 October 2018

Government school spending figures: correct but misleading

Spending per pupil in England fell by 8% in real terms from 2009/10 to 2017/18, and will be held constant from 2017/18 to 2019/20. UK education spending was about average …

Government school spending figures: correct but misleading

16 February 2018

Nearly 2 million more children are in good or outstanding schools since 2010

An increasing proportion of children are in ‘good’ schools, while a decreasing proportion are in ‘requires improvement’ schools.

Nearly 2 million more children are in good or outstanding schools since 2010

10 March 2017

Is educational attainment in Scotland at record levels?

Figures on attainment in Scotland depend on which measure you prefer to look at.

Is educational attainment in Scotland at record levels?

24 February 2017

The UK's international education ranking

It’s important not to read too much into the UK’s rank alone, or draw conclusions from changes in our rankings about whether our education system is getting better or worse.

The UK's international education ranking

14 October 2016

Scottish schools

The standard of schools in Scotland, as measured by recent pupil tests and exam results, seems to be slightly in decline.

16 September 2016

Finland, Canada and South Korea rank highly for education

We've checked claims from this week's BBC Question Time on education systems across the world.

Finland, Canada and South Korea rank highly for education

19 August 2015

England not named world's second worst nation for child happiness

Compared to 14 other countries in a survey, England's children were some of the least happy on specific aspects such as their relationship with teachers and self-confidence.

England not named world's second worst nation for child happiness

International education performance

Telegraph columnist wrongly claims literacy at the lowest level in UK history

Scotland’s maths and science scores are falling in international tests but rising in national tests

Does the UK have the best education system in the world?

Government school spending figures: correct but misleading

Nearly 2 million more children are in good or outstanding schools since 2010

Is educational attainment in Scotland at record levels?

The UK's international education ranking

Scottish schools

Finland, Canada and South Korea rank highly for education

England not named world's second worst nation for child happiness

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