The UK is No. 2 in Europe for Education. Well, so says Pearson – and they should know as they seem increasingly to be running it. The BBC reports their latest Economist Intelligence Unit world survey and says:
These rankings are based upon an amalgamation of international tests and education data – including the OECD's Pisa tests, and two major US-based studies, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls). They also include higher-education graduation rates, which helped the UK to a much higher position than in Pisa tests, which saw the UK failing to make the top 20.
Just so, and miserable school results from Wales are masked by all the other data. The global top 10 are:
1. South Korea
2. Japan
3. Singapore
4. Hong Kong
5. Finland
6. UK
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Ireland
10. Poland
The pesky Finns are up there again, ruining the €uro-party for the plucky Brits, but no Germans, French, Danes, Swedes, Russians or Americans. How nice; almost makes up for our failing, again, to win the FIFA world cup [NB, this is a prediction].
There has been no comment from Mr Gove, presumably because all this success doesn't suit his reformist agenda, where things have to be bad in order to need a white knight riding to the rescue (ie, one M. Gove). Mary Bousted, leader of the ATL teachers' union, must have had her tongue jammed in her cheek when, in welcoming the UK's strong performance, she said:
"We are confident that Michael Gove will respond positively to the good news and acknowledge the hard work of teachers and lecturers in this achievement."
Right.
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