This week I highlight England’s improved performance for PISA as well as confirmation that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in this year’s provisional KS2 SATs results has increased.

International rankings see English pupils doing well
England’s secondary school pupils have risen up the international rankings for their attainment in maths, reading and science. This is according to the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that compares 15-year-olds’ attainment across different countries.

Attainment in England has improved across reading and science, while remaining the same in maths. Science showed the strongest gains, halting a decade-long decline. However, the report also highlights a gender gap developing in science internationally, where boys now significantly outperform girls, while disadvantage also continues to affect attainment.

SATs disadvantage gap rises to highest level in 4 years
The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in KS2 SATs has reached its highest level since 2021/22, provisional annual data has revealed. The new figures also show that girls continue to outperform boys in meeting both expected and higher standards, while attainment among pupils with SEND has improved.