UK moves into top 10 international rankings as students outperform in maths, reading and science

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However, the study found Welsh children are trailing almost two years behind their English peers across all three subjects

England's teenagers have pushed the UK into the top 10 international rankings for education as students outperform in maths, reading and science.

The results come from the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, which tested 760,000 15-year-olds across 91 countries and regions last year.

While the survey found performance had dipped in almost all OECD member nations, England was among a small handful of countries to buck that trend.

England's results helped life the UK into the global top 10, despite Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all recording slightly lower scores than previous years.

Science was the most improved subject for England's teenagers, but reading performance stood out most, placing the country ahead of Australia, the US, Finland and France.

Only Singapore, Taiwan and the combined Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions of China performed significantly better.

Professor Mary Richardson, of University College London, the lead author of the Pisa reports for Wales and Northern Ireland, told The Guardian: "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."

Schools minister Georgia Gould said the findings also exposed weaknesses within England's education system, pointing to low levels of pupil belonging and engagement with the value of education.

She said performance has "plateaued" despite strong comparative results, with some of the widest gaps impacting disadvantaged pupils.

Ms Gould said ensuring the most experienced teachers work with less fortunate pupils remained a key focus of the Government, in order to minimise the gaps.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell has already signalled to major changes in England's education system, appearing to steer it closers to models used in Wales and Scotland.

Among the proposed reforms is a shift towards a curriculum with greater emphasis on skills and technical subjects, despite similar attempts having repeatedly failed over the past three decades.

Ms Powell also took aim at England's reliance on exams, including the spelling test taken by primary school leavers, saying she wanted to "replace the exam factory with the talent factory".

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott criticised any suggestion of moving away from an academic focus in schools, describing it as "bonkers".

She 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 study also found Welsh children are trailing almost two years behind their English peers across maths, science and reading.

The gap between England and Wales has doubled in reading, tripled in maths and quadrupled in science.

Scottish secondary school pupils are more than a year behind their English counterparts in both maths and science, while pupils in Northern Ireland lag more than a year behind in science.

Globally, the study showed learning outcomes have stagnated or declined in many countries, in some cases for more than a decade.

It described the international decline in reading scores as particularly concerning, with average scores falling by double digits across OECD nations since 2018.

The organisation suggested this meant many 15-year-olds in 2025 were performing at a level previously expected of 14-year-olds.

It pointed to shifting attitudes towards reading, increased digital distraction and rising absenteeism as key contributing factors.

Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director for education and skills, said the decline in reading skills had begun before the Covid 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," he said.

Mr Schleicher added countries allowing devices for leisure use within schools saw notably weaker academic performance, raising questions over whether smartphones are compatible with sustained concentration.