NI primary pupils counted among the world’s best at maths

Carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the research project examined the work of 330,000 pupils in 58 countries

The results show that Northern Ireland is outperforming their European counterparts – coming sixth overall in the world league table.

The pupils’ achievement in science has also remained above the international average, the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows.

Education Minister Peter Weir said: “I believe we have a truly world class primary education system and TIMSS shows this is particularly true for maths.

“The TIMSS results show that our primary pupils, both girls and boys, are the highest performing in Europe in maths and have maintained a strong performance in science.

“It is encouraging that pupils in only five countries outperformed pupils here in maths and that three fewer countries outperformed us in science compared to 2015, when TIMSS last took place.”

Mr Weir added: “I would like to congratulate our primary school staff and pupils on their fantastic performance in the study.

“We are among the best performers in the world in maths, which is an outstanding achievement and reflects our key emphasis on numeracy and literacy throughout the primary curriculum. The report highlights our highly qualified school workforce.”

The full national reports for TIMSS can be found here