Finland seems to be being something right in the world of education. They have been topping the tables in internatioal comparisons; In the OECD PISA survey of 2009 they managed to top the table alongside South Korea and Singapore. Their high standards are achieved through a very different model to the one used in Britain - no league tables, targets or standardised tests. So how do they do it? Well it seems the following ingredients contribute to their success:
- A system based on equity
- Schools working in collaboration and not competing against each other
- No private or selective education - pupils go to their local school
- High levels of professionalism - teachers need a Master's level qualification to enter the profession
- Periodically, the Ministry of Education tracks national progress by testing a few sample groups across a range of different schools.
