England's Schools Deserve Praise for Bucking International Educational Decline
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on English schools: teachers and pupils should be proud of bucking a downward trend | Editorial | The Guardian." September 8, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The Guardian argues that England's schools deserve credit because recent international test scores show English teenagers doing relatively well in reading, maths, and science, even as many other countries' scores have been declining. Despite acknowledging real problems like arts subjects being sidelined, stressful GCSE retakes, and regional inequalities, the editorial says these shouldn't overshadow the genuine success shown in the international comparisons.
Conclusion
Teachers, headteachers, pupils, parents and politicians should feel proud of England's school system, which has performed well relative to international peers despite a broader global downward trend.
Premises
- PISA results show English 15-year-olds' performance in reading, maths and science held up well compared with 90 other countries
- England outperformed the other UK nations (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) in reading and maths
- There has been no decline in reading capability since 2022, contrary to fears about children reading less
- The increased emphasis on STEM subjects has apparently produced positive results
- Many schools are successfully meeting the demands of a challenging curriculum
- An expert (Prof Becky Francis) has affirmed that England's scores indicate the education system is getting important things right
Assumptions
- PISA test scores are a valid and meaningful proxy for overall educational quality and system success
- International comparison (relative performance against declining peers) is an appropriate standard for judging success, rather than absolute standards
- Stability or lack of decline should be counted as a genuine achievement given the international context of decline
- The other acknowledged problems (SEN provision, regional disparities, GCSE retakes, arts exclusion) are separable from and do not undermine the overall positive assessment of academic performance
- Test score outcomes reflect genuine learning/teaching quality rather than other confounding factors (e.g., differences in test administration, curriculum alignment with test content)