England has emerged on top of the United Kingdom’s performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) exams, while Scotland and Wales have recorded declines in reading and mathematics. The results, which assess 760 000 pupils across 91 countries, also highlight a worldwide drop in teenage reading ability, with the sharpest falls observed among students from relatively well‑off backgrounds. As the UK’s education system continues to diverge between its constituent nations, the data has reignited debate over recent policy changes and the broader challenges facing schools.
England pulls ahead in Pisa rankings
The 2025 Pisa report shows that England’s pupils scored higher in reading and mathematics than any other UK nation, while all four home nations recorded modest gains in science. England’s performance is particularly notable given that the UK sample comprised 15 566 students from 515 schools. Schools Minister Georgia Gould welcomed the outcome, stating that the government intended to “build on” the positive results and “go further so all young people leave school with strong literacy and numeracy”. She highlighted recent reforms, including the introduction of technical subjects for pupils aged 14, and cited Estonia as an example where “academic excellence can go hand in hand with high‑quality vocational routes”. “Our reforms will build on England’s strong academic foundations so future generations not only perform well, but feel connected to school and excited about where their education can take them,” she added.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, however, attributed England’s success to policies enacted by the previous administration and accused the current government of attempting to “sabotage” those gains. The political debate underscores the extent to which education performance is now a central issue in the UK’s broader policy discourse.
Challenges for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In Scotland, Education Secretary Mairi McAllan described the results as reflecting “real strengths in Scottish education, as well as areas we’re already working to improve”. Scottish Labour, though, noted that scores had “flatlined since 2022’s historically poor results”, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats claimed the system under the SNP had “tumbled down the rankings, lagging behind England on every measure of performance”. Wales’s Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, acknowledged that the outcomes “highlight our need to improve standards of reading and maths, as a priority” and indicated that support plans were already in place for schools.
Despite lagging behind the rest of the UK, Wales performed better than several European peers in science, ranking above France, Spain and the Netherlands. The Welsh results largely reflect learning under the previous curriculum, which has been overhauled in recent years. Northern Ireland’s Education Minister, Paul Givan, described his region’s performance as strong by international standards but warned that “there is much more work to do” as the system faces “significant challenges” common to many countries.
Worldwide reading decline and the impact of AI
Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s Director of Education, described reading as the “mother of all skills” and warned that the steep decline was a concern. He quantified the drop as equivalent to “two school years” of progress lost over the past decade. Long‑term Pisa research indicates that pupils who read longer books tend to achieve the best outcomes, as extended reading helps them retain complex information.
The report also highlighted a near‑doubling of “hasty readers” between 2018 and 2025, pupils who skim texts to produce quick but often incorrect answers. The most pronounced deterioration was observed among students from relatively well‑off families. In the UK, the Pisa questionnaire revealed that a relatively high proportion of teenagers reported never having used AI for schoolwork, yet the OECD cautioned that many countries were allowing AI to spread rapidly without sufficient evidence of its educational impact. The agency likened this approach to “rolling out an untested vaccine on children”. Schleicher urged governments to provide clear guidelines and consider whether AI could be deployed in a targeted manner to support teaching rather than simply “give quicker answers” to students.
Local initiatives to reverse the trend
At Meadow Park School in Coventry, headteacher Bernadette Pettman has introduced a range of strategies to improve literacy. Weekly book‑club discussions led by tutors have had a “really positive impact” on pupil Ampaabeng’s reading ability since the programme began a year ago. The school has expanded its library collection and encourages reading for pleasure during lunchtime. A mobile‑phone ban, instituted two years ago to reduce distractions, aligns with the OECD’s recommendations. “In a digital age, it’s easier to pick up a phone than it is a book,” Ms Pettman observed. She added that reading together had enabled the school to “break down that fear of reading” and that pupils had “absolutely embraced it”. Creative writing sessions and visits from authors further reinforce the school’s commitment to making reading an enjoyable and integral part of school life.
Why it Matters
The Pisa findings carry significant policy implications for the United Kingdom at a time when education systems are being reshaped by technological change and shifting curriculum priorities. England’s lead underscores the potential benefits of recent structural reforms, yet the political contention surrounding those reforms highlights the need for consensus on how best to sustain and extend improvements. Meanwhile, the pronounced decline in reading skills across the UK and globally signals a systemic challenge that could affect future workforce readiness and civic engagement. The OECD’s warnings about AI’s unchecked integration serve as a timely reminder that technological adoption must be accompanied by rigorous evaluation and clear pedagogical frameworks. Local successes, such as those at Meadow Park, demonstrate that targeted interventions—enhanced access to books, structured discussion groups, and reduced digital distraction—can make a measurable difference. As nations grapple with these trends, the data will likely shape budgetary decisions, curriculum design, and teacher‑training programmes for years to come, making the current moment a critical juncture for education policy across the UK and beyond.
