Pupils at religious-run and private schools do better

Students at fee-paying and religious-run schools significantly outscored those at vocational schools in reading tests.

The analysis of 15-year-olds’ reading scores in the last international tests showed that different categories of second-level schools also had students from distinct mixes of socioeconomic backgrounds, as is generally understood.

Students in vocational schools were lowest on the socioeconomic index, with those in community and comprehensive schools a good bit higher.