One of Britain’s leading academics has cast doubts on the efficacy of international league tables, claiming they are misleading and do not provide the whole picture of how well a country is achieving.
Professor Alan Smithers, of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said the tables – often cited by ministers in education debates and when announcing key policy changes – were inconsistent and should be treated with caution.
The study, carried out for the Sutton Trust, found that variations in England’s performance were down to the way statistics were presented and which countries were participating, rather than any major fluctuations in pupil or school performance.
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