Reading, mathematics and science continued to decline, which began after 2006.

• In reading and science, the decline was particularly noticeable amongst the lowest-achieving students.

The gender gap in reading (52 score points) was one of the widest across all PISA 2018- participating countries/economies.

The performance gap associated with students' socio-economic status is 79 score points, smaller than the average difference between advantaged and disadvantaged students across OECD countries, which is 89. However, this gap has widened since PISA 2009, increasing from 61 score points.

Education is publicly funded.

• 2% of compulsory education students attend schools with private providers, which are publicly funded and prohibited from charging tuition fees.

Education from pre-primary to higher education is free, including school meals and learning materials.

• In remote and sparsely populated areas, free school transport is provided to ensure accessibility.

Focus on life-long learning

• In 2017, more than 27% of adults in Finland engaged in adult education, surpassing the EU average of 11%. The majority of this participation was in non-formal education.

No standardised testing

Accountability for teachers prioritised

Focus on cooperation, not competition

Prioritises the basics

School begins at an older age

Provision of professional options past a traditional college degree

Students wake up later for less strenuous schooldays

Consistent instruction from the same teacher

A more relaxed atmosphere

Less homework and outside work are required

PISA tourism- people learning from Finish education system,

The system relies on highly committed teachers- is this possible to achieve in other countries? Teachers in England are underpaid and overworked and less likely to commit without a governmental restructuring of the industry. So, would applying Finish principles to England work without the critical element of teacher commitment?

10 years after curriculum/ teacher training reforms were implemented- teachers received more autonomy and the career gained prestige, decentralization of the system was crucial for teacher performance as they were trusted but it took about 20 years before teachers received autonomy

China and Singapore have extremely high performance

PISA 2018 Results- China, Singapore, Estonia. Finland 7th.

How do we rank education systems- on academic achievement or satisfaction?

Ministry of Education and Culture

Finnish National Agency for Education

Finnish Education in a Nutshell

Statistics Finland - Education

The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities - Education and culture

The Trade Union of Education in Finland, OAJ