3 hours ago
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England’s teenagers are outperforming their peers in most countries in maths, reading and science, according to an international survey that warns of “digital distractions” eroding academic skills around the world.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) programme for international student assessment (Pisa), which last year tested 760,000 15-year-olds in 91 countries and regions, found that results dipped in almost all of its members compared with previous years, with the exception of England and a handful of others.
England’s steady performance helped move the UK into the top 10 international rankings as other countries dropped out, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland recording results slightly lower than in previous years.
While England’s biggest improvement came in science, it was its performance in reading that stood out, putting it ahead of Australia, the US, Finland and France, and with only the scholastic powerhouses of Singapore, Taiwan and the combined Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions in China performing significantly better.
Prof Mary Richardson of University College London, the lead author of the Pisa reports for Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “Despite the international trend of declining performance in reading, we found 15-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be reading just as well as they were in 2022.
“In science and maths, we also saw good performances, particularly for pupils in England and Northern Ireland, where scores were above the international average.”
Georgia Gould, the schools minister for England, said: “We are determined to build on these positive results and go further so all young people leave school with strong literacy and numeracy. And we want to take on the areas where England performs less well – how far pupils feel like they belong and value school. The next leap forward will come from pupils engaged and excited to be at school.”
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary for England, said it was “bonkers” for the government to move away from the academic emphasis that was proving to be so successful in England’s schools.
Trott said: “Focusing on academic outcomes increases opportunity. It beggars belief that Labour wants to reduce standards. In doing so, the most disadvantaged will be worst hit as they will lose out on the most opportunity.”
The OECD’s overall analysis was gloomy, saying that “learning outcomes have stagnated or declined in many countries, in some cases for well over a decade”.
It highlighted the international decline in reading scores as “most concerning”, with average scores falling by double digits across OECD members since 2018. The organisation said the results implied that a majority of 15-year-olds in 2025 had performed at a level previously expected of 14-year-olds.
The OECD’s analysts stated: “The long-term declines in performance suggest deeper structural issues within education systems, with challenges at the school and system level. These include changing attitudes towards reading, the impact of digital distractions on students and rising levels of absenteeism.
“Overall, the data suggest weaknesses in how education systems are adapting to social, technological and economic change.”
Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s director for education and skills, said while the negative impact of the Covid pandemic was a common explanation, the downturn in reading skills had emerged before the pandemic.
“We cannot say for sure but declining levels of reading for enjoyment and the shift towards digital reading – skimming social media feeds and rapidly processing information – may be compromising the ability of students to engage with complex texts and data,” Schleicher said.
Schleicher noted that while some uses of digital devices for learning were beneficial, those countries where devices were allowed for leisure at school saw “substantially lower” student performance.
“This raises questions about whether devices such as smartphones – designed to maximise a user’s attention – are compatible with sustained academic attention,” Schleicher said.
A report on Scotland’s performance, produced for the Scottish government, said that the 2025 result “presents a mixed but more positive picture”, with performances in science, mathematics and reading little changed since 2022.
But the report concluded: “Scores remain significantly below those achieved in several previous cycles, and a substantial proportion of pupils, particularly in mathematics, did not reach the OECD baseline proficiency level.”
Màiri McAllan, the education secretary for Scotland, said: “While recognising the positives, these results also underline the need for change in certain areas.”
