Wales slips further behind other UK nations in international school tests

Mark Mansfield

Wales has slipped further behind other parts of the UK in a major international assessment of school performance, with new results highlighting continuing concerns over standards.

The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show Welsh 15-year-olds performing significantly below their counterparts in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in science, while longer-term results show declining performance in reading and mathematics.

Wales’ mathematics score fell again in 2025, while reading and science remained broadly stable compared with the previous tests in 2022.

However, the results also show Wales performing comparatively well in limiting the impact of deprivation on attainment, with the gap between its most and least disadvantaged learners significantly narrower than the OECD average.

Researchers found socioeconomic status had less impact on attainment in Wales across all three subjects than it did across OECD countries as a whole.

In mathematics, Wales recorded an average score of 456, significantly below the OECD average of 463 and down from 466 in 2022.

The latest result was also significantly below the scores of 487 recorded in 2018 and 478 in 2015.

Wales’ average science score increased from 473 in 2022 to 476, although the change was not statistically significant. The latest figure remained significantly below the OECD average of 482.

Reading produced a score of 459, compared with 466 in 2022, a difference that was also not statistically significant. But performance remained significantly below the 483 recorded in 2018 and 477 in 2015.

Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language Anna Brychan acknowledged the results were not where the Welsh Government wanted them to be but said there would be no knee-jerk response.

She said: “Let me be clear, these results are not where we want them to be. But in many ways, they reinforce what we knew already and highlight our need to improve standards of reading and maths, as a priority. We must also do more to ensure our highest-achieving learners reach their full potential.

“I am encouraged that our most disadvantaged learners compare well internationally, and we are indebted to our teaching profession for supporting learners to achieve regardless of background. But it is clear that we have much more work to do.

“PISA results are not the only measure of performance and standards in our schools need to be understood in the round. But that does not mean that we should ignore them, either – and we take our performance in international studies incredibly seriously.”

Mathematics baseline

The report found 36% of learners in Wales performed below PISA’s baseline proficiency level in mathematics, compared with an OECD average of 35%, while 6% reached the two highest levels compared with 8% internationally.

In reading, 31% were below the baseline level and 4% reached the highest levels, while the respective figures for science were 27% and 6%.

Ms Brychan said the findings highlighted longstanding problems requiring a considered response.

She said: “PISA highlights longstanding issues that require a considered and joined-up response. This is not the fault of schools or teachers and we have inherited an education system that lacks clarity, coherence and a sure sense of direction. These are the things we have set out to address.

“What matters now is what happens next and delivering on our promise to better support the education system to raise standards. I will soon be launching our Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan that represents an important first step in the development of an equitable education system that works for all.”

She added: “We are a new government with new ambition and make no apologies for setting the bar high. But raising standards is a team effort that will require the expertise, energy and determination of all with an interest in education in Wales.”

‘Wake-up call’

Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Education, said: “These results should be a wake-up call for the Welsh Government.

“Wales is being left behind by every other part of the UK in maths, reading and science and the gap with England is particularly stark.

“Decades of socialist rule by Labour and Plaid Cymru have driven down Wales’ educational standards and are failing this generation of young people.

“Every child in Wales deserves an education that gives them the best possible start in life.

“Alarm bells must be ringing in the Welsh Government on the publication of these figures. The Welsh Government must set about improving standards in our classrooms, supporting teachers and making sure pupils get the skills they need to succeed.”

Skills

PISA, run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), assesses how effectively 15-year-olds can apply their knowledge and skills in science, reading and mathematics to real-world problems.

A total of 3,406 learners from 113 schools in Wales completed the computer-based assessments in September and October 2025 as part of a study involving 91 education systems.

The report cautions that international and historical comparisons should be interpreted carefully because samples may not perfectly represent the populations taking part.

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