ITV Sunak V Starmer Debate: fact checked
The first TV debate of the 2024 general election has taken place, with Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer going head-to-head. Read
Fact check
International education performance
Fact checks focused on international education rankings
Education
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. Neither is true. Read
Fact check
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. Read
Fact check
Education
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. Read
Fact check
Education
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 among OECD countries in 2015. Read
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Education
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. Read
Fact check
Education
Is educational attainment in Scotland at record levels?
Figures on attainment in Scotland depend on which measure you prefer to look at. Read
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Education
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. Read
Fact check
Education
Scottish schools
The standard of schools in Scotland, as measured by recent pupil tests and exam results, seems to be slightly in decline. Read
Fact check
Education
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. Read
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Evidence you can rely on
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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