Helsinking

THERE are no cars in the car park at Hiidenkivi Comprehensive School; most pupils walk or cycle to school. Inside they sit at tables of four in groups of mixed abilities. They have a say in what they learn and where: many work slouched against a wall in the corridor. Tests are rare. Lunch is free. The youngest pupils go home by noon with little or no homework.

Tens of thousands of visiting wonks have taken similar notes since 2000, when Finland came at or near the top for reading, maths and science in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an influential triennial test of 15-year-olds in 60 or so countries. Teenagers consistently score higher only in Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the richest parts of China. But unlike these places, Finland is said to have cracked schooling without working its pupils into the ground.