TEENAGERS in East Lancashire have to put up with more time-wasting, noise and disorder in larger classrooms than their counterparts in 30 other countries.
But if they can make it to university and get a degree they will get the best return on their investment in the developed world.
The 2002 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed 54 per cent of UK 15-year-olds "often" felt bored at school, compared with an average across the 32 nations of 48 per cent. And nearly half put it down to time wasted in the classroom because of disruption by others - compared to only a quarter of 15-year-olds in other countries.
Teenagers in Britain are also taught in larger classes and have more homework to do.
The average UK secondary class size is 25, against the OECD average of 24, and UK pupils received an average of 5.4 hours a week of homework in English, maths and science, compared with 4.6.
But 91 per cent of UK 15-year-olds said school was a place where they made friends easily, compared with an OECD average of 81 per cent. Youngsters in that age group from the UK also reported above-average levels of support from teachers.
Last year, the OECD's first major survey of educational attainment showed UK teenagers were among the top performers, with 15-year-olds ranked seventh out of 32 in reading literacy, eighth in mathematical literacy and fourth in scientific literacy.
The Government has regularly used these figures to back its claims that standards are improving.
Simon Jones, divisional secretary with the Blackburn with Darwen branch of the NUT, said: "Class sizes are still too high compared with the OECD average. The evidence shows that reducing class size must still be on the Government's agenda."
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