Simon Doyle. Irish News (Belfast). Tuesday, November 29, 2016

PRIMARY school pupils from Northern Ireland are among the world’s best performers in maths, an international survey has found.

Data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) reveal that only five of the 50 countries taking part in the mathematics assessments outperformed Northern Ireland.

TIMSS assesses the knowledge and skills of pupils aged 9-10 and 13-14 and gathers extensive background information about pupils’ home and learning environments and the quantity, quality and content of teaching.

This information can then be used to provide education policymakers, school leaders, teachers and researchers with insights into how well education system is working, and how to improve teaching and learning in maths and science.

In Northern Ireland, a total of 118 schools and 3,116 pupils took part.

The research showed that pupils aged 9-10 continued to perform very well in maths. Achievement in science was found to be not as high but was still above the international average.

Education minister Peter Weir said the report showed that primary schools maintained a strong performance in maths as demonstrated in the previous TIMSS study in 2011.

“It also highlights that primary schools in Northern Ireland have highly qualified principals and teachers who are committed to continuing professional development. The level of participation in professional development activities for mathematics was higher in Northern Ireland than that seen internationally,” he said.

Mr Weir added that the findings reflected those of the recently-published chief inspector’s report, which found that in 89 percent of primary schools inspected, achievements and standards in mathematics and numeracy were good or better.

“The vast majority of children have parents with a positive attitude towards mathematics and science,” Mr Weir said.

“In addition, our principals and teachers were reported to have some of the highest levels of emphasis on academic success. A positive attitude towards learning is also fostered by our pupils with the majority reporting that they enjoy learning maths and science.”

Carole Willis, Chief Executive of the National Foundation for Educational Research, said TIMSS provided “a valuable way for nations to benchmark the performance of their education systems”.

“Northern Ireland has continued to perform well in this latest round,” she said.

“The insights we provide through TIMSS on students, their teachers and schools will help policymakers and schools in Northern Ireland to build on their strengths and address areas where its performance could be improved further.”