The Starmer government looks a poor guardian of England’s improving schools
It is fiddling with what works and not yet dealing with what doesn’t
Many public services in Britain are in a wretched state. Yet England’s schools are a clear exception. Pupils are increasingly numerate and literate, compared with peers abroad. In maths tests for the OECD, a club of rich countries, English teenagers bounded from 27th place in 2009 up to 11th by 2022. In reading, a recent test placed England’s primary schools fourth in the world. Foreigners tour England’s classrooms in search of tips. They include envious visitors from America, where trends in test scores are less encouraging.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Labour of fluff”
Leaders
January 4th 2025- Tech is coming to Washington. Prepare for a clash of cultures
- Finland’s seizure of a tanker shows how to fight Russian sabotage
- To see what European business could become, look to the Nordics
- Smarter incentives would help India adapt to climate change
- The Starmer government looks a poor guardian of England’s improving schools
From the January 4th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Brazil’s Supreme Court is on trial
How a superstar judge illuminates an excessive concentration of power
Don’t overlook the many benefits of plastics
If they are a problem, it is because they are badly managed
The lesson of Birmingham’s striking binmen
The moment is ripe to reform Britain’s equal-pay rules
How a dollar crisis would unfold
If investors keep selling American assets, a grim fate awaits the world economy
Zuckerberg on trial: why Meta deserves to win
Social media has plenty of problems. Lack of competition isn’t one of them
In its pursuit of a policy, Donald Trump’s government is content to destroy a man
What’s at stake in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia