Wales falls further behind rest of UK in international schools tests
Education Minister Anna Brychan responded by reassuring teachers and school leaders that there will be no knee-jerk reaction to the results.
The latest PISA results, released today, put a spotlight on the ongoing challenge of raising education standards across Wales.
While the headline scores are not where teachers and education leaders want them to be, the results also show Welsh schools are comparatively effective at supporting the most disadvantaged learners.
Scores in reading and science have stayed broadly stable since 2022, offering a platform for improvement.
However, maths remains an area needing urgent attention, and the Welsh Government says it’s committed to stepping up efforts to boost literacy and numeracy.
Education Minister Anna Brychan responded by reassuring teachers and school leaders that there will be no knee-jerk reaction to the results.
“Let me be clear, these results are not where we want them to be. But in many ways, they reinforce what we knew already and highlight our need to improve standards of reading and maths, as a priority. We must also do more to ensure our highest-achieving learners reach their full potential,” she said.
Brychan praised the teaching profession for helping disadvantaged pupils succeed, and stressed that PISA is only one measure of how schools are performing.
“PISA results are not the only measure of performance and standards in our schools need to be understood in the round. But that does not mean that we should ignore them, either – and we take our performance in international studies incredibly seriously,” she added.
The minister also pointed out that the issues highlighted by PISA require a joined-up response, and are not the fault of schools or teachers.
“We have inherited an education system that lacks clarity, coherence and a sure sense of direction. These are the things we have set out to address,” Brychan said.
To push things forward, Brychan confirmed plans to launch a Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan—aimed at creating an equitable education system that works for all.
“It will set out clearly our expectations for action, make visible roles and responsibilities and bring people and organisations together in ways that allow them to get the very best from one another. Our efforts to raise standards require a holistic approach and we all have an important part to play,” she said.
Brychan concluded, “We are a new government with new ambition and make no apologies for setting the bar high. But raising standards is a team effort that will require the expertise, energy and determination of all with an interest in education in Wales.”
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international study run by the OECD every four years. It examines how well fifteen-year-olds can apply their knowledge and skills in reading, maths and science to real-world problems.
Around 3,400 Welsh learners took part in the latest round of tests, held in September and October 2025.