Department for Education
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The UK compares well in major international review of education

Ministers today responded to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Education at a Glance report which reaffirms the UK’s commitment to a world class education for everyone.
 
The ministers pointed to a positive analysis across the education system – from pre-primary education to higher education – and said that this independent report recognised the benefits of prioritising education.
 
They said that continued focus on young people through
  • Building Britain’s Future
  • the September Guarantee which gives every 16- and 17-year-old a guaranteed place in education or training
  • raising the participation age, so all young people will be expected to stay on in education or training until they are 18

will help all young people to keep learning or gain employment.
 
They also pointed to

  • record GCSE and A level results
  • sustained high levels of achievement at all other ages
  • massive reductions in the number of underperforming schools

as evidence that record investment in education had paid dividends.
 
Schools Minister Diana Johnson said

This major international report paints a positive picture of the UK’s progress in education and skills. We are well above the international average in many areas. Our pre-school funding per child and the number of adults per child are well above the national average, coming ahead of countries that are famous for their excellent pre-schooling, such as Sweden. 
 
We did well in science, outperforming many of our European neighbours such as France, Italy and Switzerland. The report also shows that our spending on education and improvements in teachers’ pay are also well above average. Compared to 1997 we have
  • 41,000 more teachers
  • 211,000 more support staff
  • almost 4000 new or refurbished schools
  • 27,000 new or improved classrooms.
The result is that this year saw record GCSE and A level results and the number of secondary schools that would have been deemed to be underperforming dropping from one in two in 1997 to one in ten today. This is making a real difference to young people.
 
It’s important to remember that the authors themselves make clear that different countries prioritise different areas, with Korea, for example, having high class sizes to pay higher salaries for teachers. However, there are some areas where we know we must improve, such as the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in this country. That is why we have introduced the new Diplomas for young people who prefer more hands-on learning, bridging the divide between academic and applied qualifications. 
 
And we have committed an additional £655 million over the next two years to guarantee every 16- and 17-year-old a place in education or training so no one who wishes to continue their learning should be without a place, even if they don’t get the grades they wanted. This means they can continue to learn to better develop their skills for the future.” 

Commenting on the data relating to higher education and skills, Higher Education Minister David Lammy said:

Enabling people to learn and develop their skills through higher and further education is vital for individuals and the UK at large, which is why we have invested record levels of funding in our universities and colleges.
 
There are currently more students than ever before at UK universities and our support has helped more than 2.8 million people to gain basic skills qualifications since 2001.
 
As this latest OECD report shows, the proportion of adults in the UK holding a degree is above average, with them enjoying a better return on their qualifications than most comparable countries. Our universities attract the highest number of foreign students after the United States, while the amount we spend per student has risen strongly.
 
We have made good progress on adult education and skills, with the number of people starting an Apprenticeship trebling, and our Train to Gain service enabling more than 1.2 million learner starts. This is a good record, but there is more to do. We will continue to empower people to learn, re-skill and up-skill – preparing Britain for the upturn and beyond.
 
We remain committed to ensuring that no young person is left behind during these challenging times. We are Backing Young Britain by offering a range of options including training, mentoring, internships and work experience.

 

Employment Minister Jim Knight added:

This report highlights the improvements made to the quality of the education young people receive. But in the current recession we are doing everything we can to ensure young people can still make the most of their talents and skills. 
 
We are investing £1 billion in the Future Jobs Fund which will create 100,000 jobs specifically for young people, giving them the vital first steps on the ladder. We're also bringing together private, public and voluntary sector employers to join our Backing Young Britain campaign. So far, more than 150 organisations have pledged specific opportunities for young people to give them extra help and support.

Education at a Glance 2009 highlights that:

  • the UK ranks third among OECD countries for per-pupil spending in the early years, well ahead of Germany, France and Sweden
  • UK enrolment in the early years is well above the OECD average
  • starting salary rates for teachers are increasing faster in England than the OECD average
  • this investment is paying dividends, with the UK’s 15-year-olds performing well above the OECD average in science
  • the UK has a high spend per student in terms of the OECD country average
  • the UK continues to be attractive to overseas students, with a market share second only to the USA
  • an above-average proportion of adults overall hold HE degrees with fairly high earning returns to possessing a degree
  • public education spending as a proportion of GDP has been rising and lies slightly above the OECD average, as does spending from public and private sources taken together.

The OECD report largely focuses on the education workforce and the economics of investment. However, in one area where this year's report does look at educational attainment in young people – in science at age 15 – England scored very highly, well above the OECD average. In mathematics, a similar recent international study called Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) found that performance had significantly improved between 2003 and 2007 among both ten-year-olds and 14-year-olds in England.
 
At the end of 2008, the proportion of young people aged 16 to 18 who were participating in education or training reached 79.7 per cent (1.61 million), the highest ever rate. Not all NEET young people are unemployed – they may be taking a gap year or break from study, volunteering, be caring for family, or simply be between jobs or courses. Only around one percent of young people are NEET at 16, 17 and 18.
 
The Backing Young Britain programme is offering support for all young people who are struggling due to the economy. Just last week the prime minister announced 45,000 new job opportunities for young people. One hundred top British organisations including Microsoft, Pfizer, Phones4U, Virgin Media and Morrisons have thrown their weight behind the Government’s campaign to help young people through the recession.
 
Policies to help young people through the recession include:

  • The September Guarantee: every 16- to 17-year-old is guaranteed a suitable offer of a place in education or training, with the number of places available this September at an all-time high of more than 1.55 million.
  • Working with employers, councils and voluntary groups across the country to create over 100,000 youth jobs, increase Apprenticeships, and provide internships for graduates.
  • Ensuring anyone under 25 who has been unemployed for a year will be required to take up a guaranteed job or training place.
  • Plans to increase the number of apprenticeships available for 16- to 18-year-olds. An extra £140 million to provide 35,000 additional all-age Apprenticeship places over the next year, with apprenticeships being created in the public sector, and overall spending on Apprenticeships increasing to over £1 billion in 2009/10.

 Further information

 The OECD website

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