This research by the National Foundation for Educational Research suggests that good links with the community, a stable policy environment and greater autonomy for schools, are some of the factors which contribute towards Republic of Ireland pupils having higher reading scores than UK countries.
The Republic of Ireland has a history of high reading scores in PISA, with analysis from the last study in 2018 showing that although the country has many cultural similarities to the four UK nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), 15-year-old pupils in the Republic of Ireland achieved higher scores for reading literacy.
The report highlights two major, long-term policy initiatives, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS, 2005) and the National Strategy (2011), which policy experts identified as instrumental in driving reading improvement in the Republic of Ireland and contributing to the historically strong levels of basic literacy over many years.
These integrated and complementary policies provide a wide range of interventions to address learning for disadvantaged pupils that are perceived to have impacted positively on reading and literacy. The policies also encompassed a wider set of structural changes to the way that teachers are trained and supported, from changes to teacher training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to the availability of services linking schools and their communities.
Conclusions:
- Pupils in the Republic of Ireland achieve significantly higher reading scores in PISA than the UK nations. Over time, the Republic of Ireland has also maintained a smaller proportion of pupils working at the lowest reading proficiency levels and high proportions of pupils working at highest reading proficiency levels. This continued success in reading, and the sustained difference between the Republic of Ireland and the UK nations, points to the importance of policies that have been in force for longer, and/or to other factors, such as cultural differences, potentially playing a relevant role.
- The factors that are associated with high reading attainment are largely consistent across the UK nations and the Republic of Ireland, with the most notable differences being pupils in the Republic of Ireland report a greater enjoyment of reading and a greater number of cultural possessions in their home.
- During the lifetime of the PISA 2018 cohort, the Republic of Ireland saw two major policies introduced that were perceived to impact upon reading – DEIS and the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. These policies consolidated and elaborated upon previous policies addressing disadvantage and the curriculum, which has been reflected in strong levels of basic literacy over decades. These integrated and complementary policies provide a wide range of interventions and support for schools to address learning for disadvantaged pupils and impact generally on reading and literacy. These include extra time given to reading instruction and school librarian and library support as well as smaller class sizes.
- The policies also include or work alongside a wider set of structural changes to the waythat teachers are trained and supported, through reforms to teacher training schools and their programmes, the centralisation of CPD for teachers, and community-based measures such as the extension of the Home School Community Liaison and National Education Psychological Service schemes.