England’s schools have climbed to the top of the Western European education rankings, with the country’s most disadvantaged pupils now outperforming the average student in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Norway.
The findings come from the 2025 edition of the OECD’s PISA survey, which gives 15-year-olds in countries around the world comparable tests in reading, maths and science. Only Estonia performed better than England outside the Far East.
England has pulled ahead
The results show a striking change from a decade ago. England’s overall lead over other UK nations has grown, while its performance is now significantly ahead of many Western European countries.
In reading, the quarter of young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in England scored higher than the average for all pupils in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway and several other countries.
A 20-point difference in PISA scores is broadly equivalent to a year of learning, giving some idea of the scale of the gap.
A different education route
England took a different path from countries that adopted more “competency-based” curriculums, which focus more on what pupils can do than on the material they should learn. Scotland and Wales followed that broader approach.
England instead kept a curriculum built around core knowledge. It also placed greater emphasis on behaviour, high-stakes assessment and synthetic phonics for younger children learning to read.
Those choices were criticised by some as old-fashioned and likely to put pupils off. But the latest PISA results suggest that England’s approach has delivered stronger outcomes than many expected.
Not simply other countries falling back
Some commentators have argued that England has not improved, and has only benefited because other countries have performed worse. The source acknowledges that many countries have declined sharply, but notes that England’s science results also increased.
Maintaining performance while other education systems have faced major setbacks is itself an achievement, particularly when the comparison covers a decade. Questions remain about which policies made the biggest difference, including the role of migration, classroom technology and wider cultural factors.
The results have already attracted international interest. Journalists from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan have been asking how England avoided the falls seen elsewhere.
Why this is good news for Britain
Strong school results give England a useful evidence base for improving education and supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds. They may also help British policymakers and teachers share approaches with education systems looking for ways to avoid falling standards.
