England plummets in international league table for science The Asian countries of Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong were again dominant in the tables. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) placed 10-year-olds in England 15th out of 50 countries for science in 2011, down from seventh out of the 36 countries which took part in the tests in 2007, with South Korea top of the league table. A decline in science standards was also recorded among English 14-year-olds, who slipped from fifth place out of 45 countries down to ninth place out of 42. The Government pointed out that the fall in achievement coincided with Labour's decision to drop compulsory science tests for all 11-year-olds after 2009. The study also showed that England's performance in maths had stagnated while other countries have improved. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) placed 10-year-olds in England 11th out of 45 countries, up from 15th out of 40 countries in 2006, with Hong Kong coming top. The researchers found that England's top performers were as good as the best in the world, but improvement across the board was behind held back by too many weak readers. Five per cent of 10-year-olds in England failed to reach the lowest level of performance in reading, compared to just 1 per cent in Hong Kong and only 2 per cent in the United States. The Department for Education said teaching the phonics method of learning to read in all primary schools would help all children to become strong readers. Ms Truss said England's performance in the international tests changes to the education system between 2006 and 2011. "The rise in performance in reading is encouraging but there is too long a tail of under-performance," she said. The lack of progress in maths and the decline in science, linked to the removal of compulsory tests for all 11-year-olds, is a real concern. That is why we are driving forward the academy programme and giving schools the freedom to make their own choices. That is why we are bringing in new rigorous exams that will be on a par with the best in the world and reforming the curriculum to focus on core arithmetic, algebra and geometry like high-performing jurisdictions. This is what they do in the world's most successful education states - and we are following suit.