England's 10-year-olds have shown the biggest improvement in maths of any country since 1995, according to international tables published today.
The annual Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) for 2007 shows that English 10- and 14-year-olds were the highest achieving students overall in maths and science in Europe, welcome news for the government which has been under political attack for declining standards.
England showed a 57 point rise since 1995 for 10-year-olds – ahead of Hong Kong at 50, although the former British colony remains no 1 in the world in this age group for maths.
England was in seventh place behind Singapore and Japan, as well as Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.
England's 16 point rise at age 14 in maths moved it up 11 places to seventh in this age group, considerably ahead of Scotland.
But the downside to these good international rankings is that children appear to be enjoying maths and science less than they used to. "Enjoyment levels" dropped considerably among 14-year-olds compared with data collected in 1999.
England ranked higher in all four assessments (maths and science at ages 10 and 14) than Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Austria and New Zealand.
However, the Pacific Rim countries of Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Korea continue to outperform England.
Professor John Holman, head of the National Science Learning Centre, said: "It is clear that England is among the higher performing developed countries for science and mathematics, although progress needs to be accelerated if England aspires to be on a par with some Pacific Rim countries."
But he added: "However, of great concern is the disappointing data about students' attitudes towards these subjects: good achievement is not enough without the positive attitudes that make pupils want to continue their studies to become the scientists and engineers of the future."
Holman said the government was investing £140m in science and maths, including measures to enrich the curriculum, such as after school science and engineering clubs.
The schools secretary, Ed Balls, said: "Our teenagers are leading Europe, and teachers can be really proud of our position in maths and science.
"This shows we are on the way to being world class but, as we move towards this goal, we need to make sure every child has fun in the classroom as well as achieving good results."
The results were hailed by teachers. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "The doom-mongers who undersell English schools have been proved wrong, as we outperformed most countries in maths and science in 2007.
"We know a lot of work still needs to be done, particularly to change children's attitude to maths. However, this survey confirms taxpayers' money is being well-spent in our schools."
Welcoming the news, John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, cautioned ministers against "over-simplistic comparisons" with south-east Asian countries that do not recognise cultural differences.
"It is also important for the government to maintain and enhance an emphasis on creativity in the curriculum, which is needed alongside strong performance in maths and science if the country is to be successful internationally," added Dunford.
Can you beat the 10-year-olds? Try the 4th grade questions in the Timss quiz.
• See the table below for maths results at age 10 (grade 4) and age 14 (grade 8)