A study carried out by Leuven University (KUL) on behalf of the Catholic School’s Board has found that pupils finishing primary school were performing better at the end of the last school year than was the case at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. This is being viewed as a hopeful sign, although children at the end of the 6th year of primary school are still not at the level they were at prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Improvement in 12-year-olds’ school performance
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In recent years studies have often indicated that the quality of education in Flanders is in decline. The latest PISA results showed the sharpest fall in attainment levels for reading, mathematics and science since the ranking was first published in 2000.
Professor Kristof De Witte (KUL) says that the result of he and his team’s survey mark a modest turning point in the downward trend. “In 8 out the 9 fields we test there was a noticeable improvement compared with the pupils that were in year 6 (of primary school) last year. While previously for comprehension pupils were 13 months behind where pupils of the same age were in 2019, they are now 8 months behind. Listening is the only area where there is still no improvement”.
Last year’s study showed a big drop in attainment among the most academic pupils. In June 2022 they were a full school year behind in Dutch compared with the most academic 6th year primary school pupils in 2019. However, here too they are catching up and in June 2023 the most academic pupils were at the level that the most academic pupils were at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
The reason for the improvement
But why does the tide seem to be turning? Professor De Witte believes that there are several reasons. These include investments in the provision of laptops and measures to encourage people working in other sectors to enter (or return to) teaching.
Furthermore, there is now a “sense of urgency” with schools going the extra mile to get the best out of their pupils.