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OECD: educational performance in the United Kingdom 'remains strong'

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2007/0164) issued by The Government News Network on 18 September 2007

Education Ministers Jim Knight and Bill Rammell today welcomed the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) confirmation that the educational performance in the United Kingdom overall 'remains strong'.

OECD's annual Education at a Glance - OECD Indicators 2007 finds that the UK:

* invests more money than any other country per child in the early years with participation rates far higher than the OECD average;
* has smaller secondary class sizes than the OECD average;
* continues to be an attractive destination to foreign students, especially in science and technology subjects, and is only second to the USA overall;
* tops the table for spending efficiency in education and has increased investment consistently and strategically;
* flow of new graduates is above OECD average due to high completion rates;
* is near the top of the table when it comes to the size of the earnings return for those with a degree; and
* is seeing increasing numbers of science graduates.

The OECD said:

"Indicators show that, overall, educational performance in the United Kingdom remains strong, with significant progress in early childhood participation as well as an above-average graduate output in higher education, particularly in science, that accrues high labour-market returns. The UK has also increased its investment in education consistently and strategically, with more money directed to attracting better qualified teachers rather than solely into lowering class sizes."

Minister for Schools and Learners, Jim Knight, said:
"I welcome the fact the UK education system is performing strongly but we won't stop there. We want to equip the youth of today with the skills of tomorrow through our focus on the basics at primary and secondary level, improvements to curriculum choice through our 14-19 reforms, introducing specialised diplomas from 2008 and raising the education and training age to 18.

"I'm pleased that the OECD has recognised the high quality of our teachers and the strategy behind our recruitment campaigns. It is right that we focus on attracting the best talent in the right subjects to help every child succeed.

"The early years are crucial to a child's development and their future prospects. That is why we are putting in place the services that can give every child the very best possible start in life and at pre-primary level we invest more per-pupil than any other country.

"Since the OECD finance figures relate to data for 2004 we anticipate that our position will improve even further over the coming years.

"Since 1997, the numbers of 16-24 year olds in full time education, employment or training have increased from 5.2 million to 5.8 million. But in the decade ahead we know we must do more - the OECD confirm this. That is why, alongside increased investment in skills and training, for the first time, we will make education a right for every young person until 18, and ensure they take up the opportunities open to them."

Commenting on the data relating to Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell, said:
"The figures are encouraging. The UK has one of the highest entry rates for vocational higher education and since the Higher Education figures in the OECD report are from 2005 we expect to see continued increases over the coming years. I am pleased to see the figures showing the numbers of students gaining degrees in science have increased. Over the next three years we are spending an additional £75m to support provision of key science subjects in English universities. Our universities also remain highly attractive to overseas students.

"But we still have a way to go. Since these data were gathered, the Government's response to the Leitch review on Skills has been launched. This will help over 4 million adults learn new skills and improve existing ones over the next three years and the plans will help make Britain's workforce one of the most skilled in the world by 2020."

Education at a Glance is based on data compiled for 2005 and earlier and shows:

Early Years - the UK invests more money than any other country per child in the early years.
Our investment in early years education has the potential to transform the life chances of young people. Our commitment to the expansion of Sure Start children's centres and high quality early learning means that every child has the best start in life. Only last month the Government underlined its determination with a cash injection of more than £4bn to children's centres, early years education and childcare.
Under current plans the proportion of GDP spent on education is expected to rise from 4.7 per cent of GDP in 1996-97 to 5.6 per cent in 2007-08. The amount of money spent on education has risen by more than 60% in real terms since 1996-97.

Primary - spending on education per pupil is above the OECD average.
Standards in English and mathematics in our primary schools have never been higher. Over the last ten years there has been substantial and sustained improvement - compared to 1997, 100,000 more 11 year olds are achieving the target level for their age in English and 90,000 in Maths.

The report also states that the UK has primary class sizes just above the OECD average. However, there has been a downward trend since1997 in the average class size along with improvements in the pupil to adult ratio over the same period. Since 1997 we have recruited an additional 36,000 teachers in English schools.
In 1998, the Government introduced a statutory infant class size limit for English schools of no more than 30 pupils to a qualified teacher. Although the policy targets infant classes - where research showed there would be greatest benefits in having smaller teaching groups - it has also had a beneficial effect on other year groups. There are over 100,000 fewer children aged 8 - 11 in classes of over 30 than there were in 2001.
Further Education and Skills - The OECD report makes clear that participation post-16 in 2005 was low in comparison to other nations but that in terms of the long-term trend we are making progress towards tackling this issue.
The OECD also found that participation at age 20 and for the 20-29 age group as a whole are slightly above the OECD average. The UK has one of the highest participation rates of 30-39 year olds across all OECD countries.
The Government's 'World Class Skills' initiative, produced in response to the Leitch review, includes a range of steps to boost participation levels and meet the skills needs of the economy. We are introducing simpler, more coherent, high quality employer-led vocational and occupational routes to attract more young people into higher levels of training and skilled employment. This includes:
* Raising the education and training age to 18;
* introducing new specialised diplomas in 14 sector areas from next year;
* reforming Apprenticeships with an increased focus on quality and linking them to Foundation Degrees, providing a 'vocational ladder' of opportunity from pre level 2 to Higher Education.

Higher Education
The OECD report reaffirms the value of UK higher education. UK graduates enjoy a better return on their investment than those in most OECD countries. The UK maintains a prominent position within the global education market. We will continue to move towards our goal of increasing participation in higher education towards 50% of 18-30 year olds by 2010.
The report highlights that:
* the UK has one of the highest entry rates for 'vocational' tertiary education;
* high completion rates result in a supply of new graduates that is still above the OECD average despite the UK being average for enrolment;
* the UK continues to be attractive to overseas students - second only to the US - particularly in science and technical subjects;
* the number of science graduates has increased - and there is a high proportion of science graduates among the young employed.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report 'Education at a Glance - OECD Indicators 2007' is published on 18 September 2007. The report is an annual publication that compares international levels of participation, attainment and spending among OECD member states.

2. Average class sizes can be found at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/pnattach/20070070/1.mht

3. 'The OECD Economics Directorate assessed countries for the indicator on spending efficiency by analysing a country's educational institutions, structures and decision-making processes. They did not analyse financial inputs against educational outcomes.

4. World Class Skills' report can be found at http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/publications-leitchreview.htm

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