Last night's Newsnight asked whether Sweden can really teach British schools a lesson and questioned whether the Conservatives are misplaced in basing their education proposals on the Swedish model.

Their questions resonate with some of the concerns about both the theory and practice of the Swedish model that Jubilee Centre expresses in a report we are preparing that assesses the potential impact of and opportunities presented by the Conservatives' education policies.

For instance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) suggests that Sweden is ‘not statistically significantly different from the OECD average’ for science and ranks Sweden just 22nd out of 57 countries, below the UK. How effective has this model actually been in Sweden? And what value-added academic and social results can be demonstrated?

Sweden is a very different society to the UK. There is low income inequality due to the high tax rate and strong welfare system, in comparison to the UK, where there are enormous inequalities. To what extent is it possible to import their education model and expect it to work? And what might we learn from Finland, which consistently ranks amongst the best countries in the world for student achievement, or from the Netherlands, which scores highly for child wellbeing?

A report by the Sweden National Agency for School Improvement for the OECD notes that 'The education system has been an integral component of the Swedish concept of the welfare state,' which obviously would not be the intention of the Conservatives. Neither would they seek to emulate the observation that 'Swedish spending on education is amongst the highest in the world. In 2003, Swedish total public expenditure on all types of education was 6.5% of GDP compared with an OECD average of 5.6%: Public funding of education stood at 6.3%, compared to an OECD total of 5%, while private spending in education ranks among the lowest in OECD countries.' (Improving School Leadership, 2007)

Both the PISA and Swedish OECD reports also note that 'there are small differences in performance between schools, implying that performance is largely unrelated to the schools children attend.' If most of the reasons for educational failure lie outside the school, what implications does this have for creating New Academies on a Swedish model and expecting them to lift standards?

Despite the above questions, there is much in the Conservatives' proposals to commend them. However, if we want to help schools both to contribute to and be a part of wider healthy communities (such as the inspiring community redevelopment efforts that have transformed schools in Tower Hamlets), then we will need to make sure we have properly thought through the potential impact of any further reforms before they are imposed on the teaching community.

Watch out in the coming weeks for our report on the Conservatives' education plans.

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