Just over a decade ago, the OECD’s survey of adult skills delivered a shocking wake-up call about the state of literacy and numeracy among young people in England. The findings painted a grim picture: our young adults ranked among the worst in these critical skills and we were the only country where older adults outperformed the younger generation. The report generated headlines in national news outlets that spoke of an ‘education crisis’
Last week, the results from the latest version of that survey revealed a major turnaround. Now, our young people perform better than the global average in both literacy and numeracy. Not only are we no longer an international outlier due to underperformance, but we’re one of only three countries in the study where the literacy skills of young people have improved in the past decade.
There wasn’t much by way of media coverage this time around. Nevertheless, this warrants both celebration and reflection on the education policies that have contributed to this transformation.
For one, the young adults who took part in this survey would have benefitted from the focus on driving up literacy and numeracy in schools across consecutive governments.
For another, over the past decade, the condition of funding policy has ensured that all young people who fall behind in English or maths at age 16 are given the opportunity to continue to build their literacy and numeracy skills in 16-19 education.
Whereas previous generations would typically stop studying these subjects, all the young adults in this latest survey who did not hold a standard pass in GCSE English and maths will have fallen under this policy change.
In fact, the improvement among young people in this survey shouldn’t be surprising. Similar improvements are evident in our national datasets.
Since the introduction of the condition of funding, there has been a 94-per cent increase in those achieving a standard pass at GCSE English and maths in 16-19 education. The number of young people in England who hold a level 2 English or maths qualifications by the age of 19 is now the highest it has ever been, just shy of 80 per cent.
Crucially, the sector has also demonstrated its potential to narrow the attainment gap. As of 2022/23, more young people from low-income backgrounds achieve a standard pass in GCSE English and maths in 16-19 education than their wealthier peers, leading to a slight narrowing of the gap by age 19.
Currently, this is the only part of our education system where a narrowing of the gap occurs. This is a testament to the dedication and efforts of teachers in the further education sector, as well as to the importance of policies that create opportunities for lifelong learning.
The findings from the OECD survey are not wholly positive. As the report’s researchers, the NFER have highlighted, there has been less improvement in the literacy and numeracy skills among the adult population generally.
Around one in five adults in England still have low proficiency in literacy or numeracy (or both), amounting to 8.5 million working-age adults. More focus and better investment in adult learning opportunities are crucial if this is to be resolved.
Moreover, there is still much more to do to improve literacy and numeracy skills among young people. International counterparts like the Netherlands show us that it is possible to have an education system where fewer than 10 per cent of 19-year-olds are without the equivalent level 2 qualifications in English and maths.
Significantly, the new government has committed to driving up standards in the foundations of reading, writing and maths.
If this commitment extends to those aged over 16, then in another 10 years’ time we will hopefully be looking back and reflecting on the remarkable transformation of education and skills in this country, not just for young people, but across the system more widely.
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