Irish pupils come out top in school tests
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Irish pupils have come out on top in national tests for four and five-year-olds, according to figures released today.
They have broken the stranglehold normally held by Chinese and Asian pupils on top place in tests – which cover a range of basic communication skills, writing sentences and adding and subtracting.
The figures show 58.2 per cent of irish pupils had achieved a good level of development by the time they were ready to start compulsory schooling – compared with a national average of 51.6 per cent.
By contrast, Chinese pupils showed a slight decline with 51.8 per cent reaching the standard compared with 52 per cent last year.
The results also showed children from poor homes lagging behind before they start school with only just over a third reaching the required standards. Girls did better than boys in all but two of the 13 different tasks observed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments