A Strong PISA Report for Bolton School Girls’ Division

The Girls’ Division at Bolton School has received excellent feedback from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), following participation in its last set of assessments. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. Whilst schools don’t receive data on their pupils’ performance in academic subjects, PISA does report on the pupils’ attitudes to, and motivation for, learning, as well as their wellbeing. 

A delighted Head of Girls’ Division, Mrs Lynne Kyle, said: ‘The results that were sent to us reflect the strong culture of belonging at the school, with pupils reporting that they felt safe in school, that they belong, that they are accepted by their peers and that they make friends easily. This was particularly pleasing because, according to PISA: “The report showed that on average across OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, pupils who reported feeling safe and were not exposed to bullying or risks at school had a stronger sense of belonging at school and were overall more satisfied with life. The report also showed a strong relationship between feeling safe at school and a sense of belonging at school, particularly in higher-performing education systems.” 

‘It was also pleasing to see that pupils reported a high level of motivation to succeed academically. As mathematics was the major focus of PISA 2022, pupils commented on their experience of teaching and learning in this subject. The study found that they reported positively that Maths teachers help them with their learning, ensure understanding, provide additional and extra support and show an interest in every students’ learning. Again, this was reassuring in that the PISA study found that: “pupils who described supportive teachers and a better disciplinary climate in their mathematics lessons scored higher in mathematics and reported greater wellbeing.”’