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England and Norway: What Can We Learn From Each Other's Education Systems?

hello827251
48 minutes ago
12 min read

When we talk about education, it is easy to become focused on what happens within our own schools, our own communities and our own national system. Yet sometimes, looking beyond our borders gives us the opportunity to step back and ask a much bigger question: What really makes an education system successful? Is it the grades on the paper? The life experiences? The wellbeing, resilience and confidence? Or perhaps there is not a definitive answer.


I have a personal connection to Norway, having spent time there during my degree and, more recently, spending part of the summer there. What has continued to fascinate me is the country's holistic approach to childhood and education. There is a clear sense that education is not simply about preparing children to perform well in tests. It is also about developing confident, capable and connected young people who understand themselves, their communities and the world around them. England and Norway provide a fascinating comparison in terms of education. Both countries are committed to high-quality education, inclusion and improving outcomes for children, but they have developed different approaches to their curriculums, assessments, accountability, teacher professionalism, wellbeing, outdoor learning and the use of technology.

The statistics make the comparison even more interesting. England generally performs more strongly than Norway in international measures of attainment at age 15-16, yet wellbeing data raises important questions about the experiences of young people as they move through childhood and into adolescence. Norway, meanwhile, places considerable emphasis on the whole child, professional collaboration, community and its strong cultural relationship with the outdoors. Perhaps we should be collaborating to ask what each country can learn from the other?



Attainment and results matters (of course they do) — but so does the journey to getting there

If we look only at academic attainment, England has a strong argument.

PISA 2022 shows the UK performing above Norway in all three core areas. The UK scored 489 in mathematics, 494 in reading and 500 in science, compared with 468, 477 and 478 respectively in Norway. The OECD averages were 472 for mathematics, 476 for reading and 485 for science. However, there is an important caveat: PISA reports the UK as a whole in this international comparison, rather than England separately. Nevertheless, the broader picture is clear — pupils in England perform strongly in international measures of academic attainment.


England's approach to assessment is also much more prominent throughout a child's education. Children encounter formal assessment from a relatively young age. For example, the two-year check, the Foundation Stage Baseline, the Good Level of Development at the end of the Foundation stage. Swiftly followed by the phonics screening check takes place in Year 1, when children are typically around six years old, and in 2025, 80% of pupils in England achieved the expected standard, although only 67% of disadvantaged pupils passed the screening. In year 2 there are optional SATs, times table testing in year 4 and at the end of primary school in Key Stage 2 SATs. In 2026 63% of 11 year olds achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined at the end of primary school.


In contrast, Norway takes a different approach. Norwegian pupils undertake national tests, including in reading, mathematics and English, but these are used differently within the system and do not form the same high-profile accountability structure found in England. It’s important to note that this does not mean that Norway has no attainment concerns. Recent national test results have highlighted declines in reading and mathematics among younger pupils, while English results improved. The lesson here is, perhaps, not that less assessment automatically means better outcomes, any more than more assessment automatically produces higher standards. The more useful question is whether summative assessments help teacher to understand children better and thus enable teachers to make better decisions about what happens next.

And perhaps this is where the comparison between England and Norway becomes particularly interesting. What happens when we broaden our definition of educational success?


Wellbeing cannot be not separated from learning

The international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC) highlights a worrying pattern across OECD countries: mental wellbeing declines significantly as children get older. The average WHO-5 wellbeing score falls from 65.3 at age 11 to 57.4 at age 13 and 53.7 at age 15. The English data demonstrate just how significant this change can be. In the 2021/22 HBSC survey, 57% of young people in England were classified as having high mood, while 19% were in the category indicating a risk of depression. Among girls, the proportion classified as having high mood fell from 55% at age 11 to 39% at age 13 and just 33% at age 15.

These figures should make us pause and reflect on what happens during the educational journey. A child can enter secondary school with relatively positive wellbeing and experience a very different emotional landscape by the time they reach 15. This cannot simply a pastoral issue. It is an educational issue. Wellbeing affects attendance, engagement, relationships, motivation and the ability to learn. If we want children to achieve academically, we cannot completely separate attainment from the conditions that enable children to learn successfully. PISA 2022 provides another fascinating comparison. Average life satisfaction among pupils in England was approximately 6.01 out of 10, compared with an OECD average of around 6.75. Around 48% of pupils in England rated their life satisfaction at 7 or above. Norway's reported life satisfaction was considerably higher, at approximately 7.48 out of 10. Of course, we cannot conclude that the education system alone causes this difference. Wellbeing is influenced by family, society, culture, economic circumstances, social media, relationships and many other factors. But we must remember that education is part of the great tapestry of life and that all factors feed into the results at the end of school and the child emerging into adult life.


Learning doesn't always need four walls

One of the most distinctive features of Norwegian education and early childhood practice is the importance placed on nature, outdoor life and learning beyond the classroom. Like many European countries formal education starts later in Norway; with children starting school at around 6. Before that all children an attend Kindergarten which focused entirely on play-based learning, social skills, and language development rather than formal academics.

UK based company Learning through Landscapes describes the potential of outdoor learning simply and powerfully:

“Outdoor learning can help to bring difficult concepts to life, making them easier to understand.”



Their approach compliments the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv. It is often described as "outdoor life" or "open-air living", but it is much broader than simply taking children outside for physical exercise. It reflects a cultural understanding of spending time in nature, developing relationships with the environment and learning through direct experience. Importantly, this is not simply a cultural tradition that happens outside school. Outdoor experiences have a recognised place within Norwegian education, with opportunities for pupils to develop enjoyment of being outdoors, respect for nature, cooperation, participation, responsibility and an understanding of how nature can support physical and mental health. Learning can involve walking, exploring, observing, problem-solving, navigating, working collaboratively and experiencing the natural environment. A lesson about climate change might involve observing changes in the local environment. Mathematics can involve measuring distance, temperature or height. Science can happen through direct observation. Geography can become an experience rather than simply something represented on a worksheet. The outdoors simply becomes another classroom, rather than simply a place for break times or PE lessons.

However, and this is interesting,  there is a range of research on the impact of outdoor (adventure) learning on outcomes.  The Education Endowment Foundation currently rates the evidence for outdoor adventure learning improving academic outcomes as very weak, although it recognises evidence of wider benefits including self-efficacy, motivation and teamwork.

That distinction matters. The argument for outdoor learning does not need to be that every outdoor activity will raise test scores. Its value may lie in developing the wider characteristics that support children as learners: confidence, independence, collaboration, resilience, physical activity and a sense of connection. For some children, particularly those who struggle to demonstrate their strengths in a traditional classroom, the outdoors can provide a different route into learning. A child who finds sitting still difficult may become deeply engaged when asked to navigate a woodland trail. A child who struggles with written communication may demonstrate sophisticated problem-solving when working with a group outdoors. A child who lacks confidence may discover that they can lead, organise, encourage or take responsibility.

These experiences matter.

Perhaps the question for English schools isn't simply "How can we get children outside more?" but "What learning becomes possible when we take the classroom outside?"



Technology: used thoughtfully

In a world where technology is changing every day and children are using it in their day to day life with more confidence that many adults its important to recognise that there are risk but there are also benefits from it.  Interestingly, Norway's strong relationship with nature does not mean that it rejects technology. In fact, Norway had a highly digitally developed education system. An interesting question for all education systems is not whether technology should be used, but how and why it should be used to benefit learning.

This is an increasingly important question for every education system as we prepare children for jobs that may not even exist at the present time. The OECD's latest TALIS data show that 40% of teachers in Norway report using artificial intelligence in their work, compared with 36% across the OECD. Norwegian teachers report using AI most frequently to learn about or summarise a topic (65%), generate lesson plans or activities (57%), and adjust the difficulty of learning materials according to students' needs (45%). Much fewer use it to assess or mark pupils' work (19%) or review data on student participation or performance (7%). This is particularly interesting because it suggests that technology is being used primarily as a tool to support teachers, rather than simply as another way of delivering information to children. Technology does not automatically improve learning simply because it is present but it can have a positive impact when used effectively by highly skills teachers.

PISA research suggests that moderate digital use can be beneficial, but excessive use can become counterproductive. Across OECD countries, pupils who spent up to one hour per day using digital devices for learning activities at school scored 14 points higher in mathematics than those who spent no time on digital devices, after accounting for socioeconomic factors. However, the relationship became negative when digital learning use exceeded one hour per day. A lesson to us all is not that children should use less technology; nor is it that they should use more. It is that the lesson is that purpose matters. We should be asking:

What does technology enable that we couldn't otherwise do?

·       Can it provide rapid feedback?

·       Can it make learning more accessible?

·       Can it help a teacher adapt material?

·       Can it support communication?

·       Can it provide access to expertise, information or creative tools?

And equally, when is a conversation better than a screen? When is play better than an app? When is practical experience better than a simulation? Perhaps one of the most interesting lessons from Norway is that digital development and outdoor learning do not have to be competing philosophies. A child might use technology to research a local ecosystem and then put the device away and explore that ecosystem in person. They might use AI to help generate questions before conducting an investigation, but then need to work collaboratively outdoors to find the answers. Technology can support learning without becoming the learning.



Education as a public service

There is another significant difference worth considering: how education is funded and understood beyond compulsory schooling.

Norway has a strong tradition of viewing education as a public service. At public higher education institutions, students from Norway, the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees. Students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland will generally pay tuition fees, although there are exemptions for certain groups. Students still need to meet their living costs and pay a semester fee, so "free university" does not mean that studying is cost-free. This is very different from England's tuition-fee model. There are no simple answers to that question, and Norway's approach comes with significant public expenditure. But it is worth considering what happens when access to higher education is viewed as part of a broader social commitment to education. The significance goes beyond the financial difference. It reflects a wider question about how a society views education: is education primarily an individual investment, or is it also a public investment in the future of society?



What about teacher’s wellbeing, skills and lifestyle?

The way we treat teachers is another important part of this comparison. OECD data show that actual average primary teacher salaries in Norway are higher than in England when adjusted for purchasing power. However, this should not be interpreted as meaning that Norwegian teachers are universally more satisfied or that teaching is automatically a more attractive profession. In fact, the latest TALIS data provide a much more nuanced picture. Around 86% of teachers in Norway report being satisfied with their jobs compared to around 49% of English teacher. However, only 18% of Norwegian teachers agree that teachers are valued in society compared to 29-35% of English teachers. So, Norway should not be presented as an educational utopia where teachers have universally higher status, autonomy or satisfaction. Instead, the lesson may be about the importance of professional relationships, collaboration and trust. This is important because educational reform cannot simply focus on what teachers need to deliver within the curriculum, it must also consider the conditions in which teachers work.



A different balance, rather than a different set of priorities

Perhaps when considering what a well rounded education really looks like we  need to step back from individual statistics and look for common goals, strengths we can see in other systems and how we can learn from those others, every education system wants children to be successful so nobody is actually pursuing completely different goals, they are just approaching them from a different angle. In Norway and the UK (along with every other country) we want children to achieve, we want skilled teachers, we recognise the importance of inclusion and are concerned about wellbeing. Worldwide education recognises and is responding to rapid technological change whilst attempting to prepare young people for an increasingly complex world. The difference is perhaps in the balance in different countries. England has developed a system with strong academic expectations, detailed assessment and a clear focus on measuring attainment and identifying gaps. These are strengths, particularly when assessment is used intelligently to identify where children need additional support. Norway appears to place greater emphasis on the broader experience of childhood: community, nature, independence, collaboration, physical activity and wellbeing. Its approach to friluftsliv challenges us to think about whether learning always needs to take place inside a classroom.

Norway’s approach to technology raises another useful question. Rather than simply asking whether schools are "using enough technology", we might ask whether technology is being used purposefully, alongside — rather than instead of — relationships, conversation, practical experiences, creativity, movement and time outdoors.

And Norway’s approach to higher education raises a bigger societal question about whether education should be understood partly as a collective investment in the countries future rather than solely an individual one investment in their own future.



So, what can England learn from Norway?

Perhaps we don't need to choose between academic rigour and wellbeing.

We don't need to choose between technology and nature.

We don't need to choose between assessment and creativity.

We don't need to choose between high expectations and childhood.

The challenge is to create a system where these things work together.

Imagine an education system that encourages children to learn mathematics practically, by measuring the natural environment, science through observation, literacy through storytelling and communication, geography through exploration and personal development through challenge and collaboration. Imagine technology being used when it genuinely adds value — helping teachers personalise learning, supporting accessibility, enabling creativity and reducing workload — while knowing when to put the screen away. Imagine children learning to assess risk rather than simply being protected from every possible risk. Imagine pupils developing independence because they are trusted to navigate, make decisions and solve problems. Imagine teachers being given the professional trust, development and collaboration they need to make good decisions.

And imagine an education system where success is measured not only by what a child can achieve at 16, but also by the person they are becoming. That, perhaps, is the most important lesson.

England can learn from Norway's emphasis on professional collaboration, outdoor learning, community, independence and the wider development of children. Norway can learn from England's strengths in identifying attainment gaps, using assessment and maintaining strong academic expectations. And both countries can learn from the growing evidence around technology: digital tools are most powerful when they enhance learning rather than replace the experiences that make learning meaningful.

Ultimately, children are more than their data. They are more than their phonics score, more than their times tables score, more than their SATs results, more than their GCSE results. Children and young adults are more than their attendance data, they are more than their behaviour record and they are certainly more than their performance in a set of tests.

A successful education system should enable children to achieve highly — but it should also help them to become curious, confident, resilient, connected and well. Perhaps the real measure of educational success is not simply what a child can achieve in tests at 16 but it is who that child becomes because of the education they have received.

Sometimes that learning may happen at a desk.

Sometimes it may happen through technology.

Sometimes it may happen in a field, by a river or in a woods.

Sometimes it may happen on a woodland path, in the rain, working out how to solve a problem with a group of friends or where to go on the map.

Perhaps that is one of the lessons Norway can offer us:


Learning doesn't need to be contained by four walls. Sometimes the world outside is the greatest classroom a child can have.


 

References:

The international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (2023)- https://www.who.int/europe/initiatives/health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-(hbsc)-study

Learning through the Landscape: https://ltl.org.uk/

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