Today’s news review looks at coverage of a new OECD report on the well-being of 15-year-olds across 72 countries.
OECD PISA report
Yesterday, 19 April, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) released a report based on a survey of 540,000 students internationally.
It looked at how the school environment affects them, how they spend time out of the classroom and whether they have experienced bullying. The report received widespread media pick-up, including in The Guardian, BBC Online and TES.
Overall it found that most students report being happy with their lives - the international average satisfaction score was 7.3 on a scale from 0 - 10.
The UK’s satisfaction score was 7, behind France (7.6) and Germany (7.4) but ahead of countries such as Hong Kong (6.5), Japan (6.8) Turkey (6.1).
UK teenagers said they had a high level of parental support, with 93% saying their parents encouraged them to be confident. They also reported a highly competitive spirit: 90 per cent of students said they wanted to be the best in whatever they do, far ahead of the OECD average of 65 per cent.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
These findings show young people have the motivation and desire to go as far as their talents can take them and that their parents are supporting them throughout their time at school.
The government wants to give all pupils access to the excellent education they deserve. With 1.8 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, we are making progress but there is more to do.
Assessment is an important part of education but it is also important that the test period is managed so students feel supported throughout. Our reforms have also put a stop to the endless treadmill of exams for young people, giving them more time to gain a greater understanding of the subject.
To read the OECD report in full please see here.