Wales is continuing to fall behind the rest of the UK in international education rankings, with new PISA results showing Welsh pupils significantly underperforming their peers in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The PISA 2025 results show Wales recorded an average score of 456 in maths, compared with 492 in England, 473 in Northern Ireland and 467 in Scotland.

In reading, Wales scored 459, compared with 497 in England, 482 in Northern Ireland and 488 in Scotland.

In science, Wales recorded 476, significantly below England's 516, Northern Ireland's 492 and Scotland's 491.

Despite already trailing the rest of the UK, in these new figures Wales records the steepest drop of all UK nations in reading and maths and while all UK nations improved their scores in science, Wales had the lowest increase.

The Welsh Government said that while the results are “not where anyone in education would want them to be”, there “there will be no knee-jerk response to the results”, with “plans in place to support schools to raise standards.”

Cabinet Minister for Education Anna Brychan said: “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.

“I am encouraged that our most disadvantaged learners compare well internationally, and we are indebted to our teaching profession for supporting learners to achieve regardless of background.

“But it is clear that we have much more work to do.

“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.

“PISA highlights longstanding issues that require a considered and joined-up response.

“This is not the fault of schools or teachers and 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.

“What matters now is what happens next and delivering on our promise to better support the education system to raise standards.”

Sam Rowlands MS, Conservative Shadow Minister for Education, said: “These results should be a wake-up call for the Welsh Government.

“Wales is being left behind by every other part of the UK in maths, reading and science and the gap with England is particularly stark.

“Decades of socialist rule by Labour and Plaid Cymru have driven down Wales’ educational standards and are failing this generation of young people.

“Every child in Wales deserves an education that gives them the best possible start in life.

“Alarm bells must be ringing in the Welsh Government on the publication of these figures.

“The Welsh Government must set about improving standards in our classrooms, supporting teachers and making sure pupils get the skills they need to succeed.”