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Despite the widely held belief that Jersey's education system outperforms the UK in terms of exam results, “the reality is very different", according to a think tank.
A recently released report from Policy Centre Jersey found that island schools perform on par with the England average at GCSE level, but "well below schools in the south-east of England".
The report, written by the group's senior adviser Sir Mark Boleat, added that A-level attainment was "worse than the England average and substantially worse than the best-performing areas".
Pictured: Policy Centre Jersey's senior adviser Sir Mark Boleat.
Sir Mark said: "Although people may believe Jersey always does better than the UK in exam results, the reality is different.
"Jersey publishes aggregate exam results and compares these with the figures for England as a whole. England is not a comparable jurisdiction.
"A comparable jurisdiction would be one with a similar structure of the population."
He explained: "Jersey should not be comparing itself with the UK but rather with that part of the UK that is most similar to Jersey in respect of population characteristics, that is the southeast of England."
Pictured: A recent report by Policy Centre Jersey has revealed that Jersey's schools are not outperforming the UK as commonly believed.
Sir Mark also said that Jersey does not analyse exam results in detail or seek to identify how to improve performance, which is standard practice in most jurisdictions.
"Increasing attainment levels has not been a priority," he added.
In addition to the underperformance compared to the UK, the report found that Jersey's secondary school system needs reform to reduce selectiveness and help students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Pictured: Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward.
The report said the high proportion of students attending fee-paying schools and the transfer of pupils to Hautlieu school at ages 14 and 16 creates a "structural barrier" to social mobility.
It called on the Government to reform the secondary school system, increase the attractiveness of higher education on the island, and prioritise early childhood education for disadvantaged children.
Education Minister Rob Ward acknowledged the issues raised and said that his department is addressing needs through a new funding formula targeting areas of most need.
"This will give the educational opportunities for all in our society and support social mobility," he said.
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