By
Claire Ellicott
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By the time British children reach the age of 15, they are already languishing three years behind their Shanghai equivalents in maths.
It is just one marker of how the Chinese city is racing ahead of Britain – and the rest of the world. Shanghai is top of the international league table in maths, reading and science for the second time.
The city triumphed despite spending just 60 per cent of the international average on education – $49,000 (£29,852) over a pupil’s lifetime compared to the average of $83,382 (£50,793).
Hard work: Many of Shanghai’s pupils study for nine hours a day
In Britain, the spending per pupil is $98,023 (£59,719) – yet the investment does not bear fruit.
The disparity in academic standing cannot be blamed on large class sizes, as the average number of pupils in Shanghai’s nearly 3,000 state schools is 35.4, compared with 25 in the UK.
The key difference between Shanghai and Britain appears to be pushy parents – and even pushier teachers.
In the Chinese city, 45.9 per cent of parents got in touch with teachers to discuss school performance