Very interesting, would be good to know what the ££ per pupil was in each of the UK areas, if the Welsh were under funded could explain help the abysmal results?
Fair question — I checked this. On the IFS’s like-for-like measure, Wales was spending about £8,700 per pupil in 2025–26 versus £8,600 in England. Scotland was much higher at around £10,400. So Wales does not appear to have been underfunded relative to England. In fact, spending per pupil in Wales and England has followed a very similar trend over the past 15 years. That suggests funding alone can’t explain why the performance gap has become so much wider.
Oh, so if we continue to suffer a Labour govt in England, we can look forward to a dumbing down too, in the years to come. The evidence is there for all to see.
Thanks for chiming in, Donna. It’s certainly a cautionary tale about diverging curriculums and accountability. Time will tell if Westminster takes notes from Cardiff's scorecard.
Thanks for detailed and speedy response. Makes your excellent post even more concerning.
Very interesting, would be good to know what the ££ per pupil was in each of the UK areas, if the Welsh were under funded could explain help the abysmal results?
Fair question — I checked this. On the IFS’s like-for-like measure, Wales was spending about £8,700 per pupil in 2025–26 versus £8,600 in England. Scotland was much higher at around £10,400. So Wales does not appear to have been underfunded relative to England. In fact, spending per pupil in Wales and England has followed a very similar trend over the past 15 years. That suggests funding alone can’t explain why the performance gap has become so much wider.
Oh, so if we continue to suffer a Labour govt in England, we can look forward to a dumbing down too, in the years to come. The evidence is there for all to see.
Thanks for chiming in, Donna. It’s certainly a cautionary tale about diverging curriculums and accountability. Time will tell if Westminster takes notes from Cardiff's scorecard.