OECD: Bullying among UK teenagers higher compared to global average

Teenagers in the United Kingdom face a higher likelihood of experiencing bullying at school compared to the global average according to a new global study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“On average pupils in England were more exposed to bullying at school than on average across OECD countries,” said the report.

According to the report, students in the UK not only encounter a higher prevalence of bullying but also feel less safe at school compared to the global average. Additionally, they are more likely to witness fights and experience threats and vandalism within the school environment.

The study found that in terms of the most severe forms of violence, such as incidents involving gangs and knife crime, there was no notable difference between schools in the UK and the global average.

The findings were released as part of the widely anticipated Programme for International Student Assessment rankings, which assess the performance of 15-year-olds in 81 countries.

Report findings

The data reveals the following:

• One in five UK students reported experiencing other pupils making fun of them a few times a month or more, compared to a global average of 12 percent.

• In England, only 66 percent of pupils stated they “never or almost never” experienced exclusion by other pupils, in contrast to the global average of 77 percent.

• The majority of pupils in England (78 percent) claimed they never experienced physical bullying, such as being hit or pushed around by other pupils, while the global average was 88 percent.

• English pupils were more likely to report involvement in physical fights at school or experiencing instances of other pupils taking away or destroying their belongings.
  
• UK students, especially those in England, expressed a diminished sense of belonging at school compared to the global average. Additionally, students in England reported significantly lower overall life satisfaction levels than the global average.
  
• 48 percent of pupils in England rated their overall life satisfaction as seven or more out of ten, in contrast to the 61 percent reported across other countries.

Consequently, English pupils reported statistically significantly lower overall levels of life satisfaction than the average, marking a decline since 2018, the last time the study was conducted.

Less distracted by screens

On the other hand, OECD representative Alfonso Echazarra noted that the results also indicated UK students are less distracted by phones and tablets in classrooms than in most other countries. Additionally, students from the lowest socio-economic groups in the UK perform well.

The UK also stands out as the only country in Europe where second-generation immigrants outperform non-immigrant students, while first-generation immigrants do not perform significantly worse.

“We need to continue to make sure that we are doing all we can both in terms of what happens in school, but also in that wider social environment for children,” said Echazarra.

Academic performance

Despite an “unprecedented drop in performance” globally due to the pandemic, UK teenagers have improved their position in the global math and reading league table, according to the Pisa rankings. While UK students showed a decline in math and reading test scores compared to 2018, their overall standing in the global league table has risen.

In the field of science, the UK maintained its position in the rankings despite a decline in performance. Andreas Schleicher, the Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, noted that while the UK’s ranking has improved in the last four years since 2018, the actual results did not show a significant drop compared to the average across OECD countries.

The latest report indicates a 13-point decline in mathematics results in the UK, which is less than the global average drop of almost 15 points. In reading, UK results fell by 10 points, aligning with the global average, and science results decreased by five points.

A drop of 15 points is equivalent to three-quarters of a year’s worth of learning, according to the report.

Despite the lower results, the UK has seen a rise in the rankings. In mathematics, the UK is now joint 12th, five places higher than in 2018. In reading, the UK has risen to 13th, up from joint 14th in 2018, and in science, the UK maintains its joint 14th position, the same as in 2018.

The UK continues to fall outside the global top 10, trailing behind countries such as Singapore, which secured the top spot in all three categories, as well as Japan and Estonia. 

Coping with COVID

The results also indicate that 39 percent of UK teenagers reported having problems at least once a week understanding school assignments during remote learning, and 30 percent faced challenges finding someone to help them with schoolwork. These figures are higher than the global average.

In response to the question of how well the UK coped with Covid-19, Mr. Schleicher commented, “I think overall, I would say so-so.”

Approximately 690,000 students participated in the Pisa assessment across 81 countries in 2022. These students also responded to a background questionnaire that gathered information about their attitudes, beliefs, homes, and school and learning experiences.