The OECD has called for changes to how Catalonia runs its schools, saying the system needs stronger teacher career incentives, more authority for headteachers and a clearer, better aligned approach to assessment. The review was presented on Monday, about two months before the next PISA results are due, and matters directly to families, pupils and teachers because it points to changes that could affect classroom support, school management and how student progress is measured.

The report was commissioned by the Generalitat, Catalonia's regional government, around 18 months ago after weak education indicators sharpened concern over school performance. The OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, said its recommendations centre on four areas: inclusion in mixed-ability classrooms, the teaching profession, school leadership and a "coherent" evaluation system.

What the OECD says should change in Catalan schools

According to the OECD review published through its Education GPS platform, one of the central recommendations is to strengthen support for teachers and make the profession more attractive. That includes incentives linked to career development and better conditions for professional growth, a point that affects day-to-day school life through staffing, retention and continuity in classrooms.

The review also argues for a stronger role for school leaders. In practice, that means giving principals and management teams more capacity to organise staff, steer teaching priorities and respond to each school's needs, rather than relying on a more rigid system.

  • greater inclusion of pupil diversity within ordinary classrooms
  • incentives and career support for teachers
  • more decision-making power for school leadership
  • a more coherent and aligned system of evaluation
The OECD's proposed "recipe" for Catalan education combines teacher incentives, stronger leadership and a coherent evaluation model.

For parents and pupils, the most immediate practical consequence would be in assessment. A more coherent system would aim to align what pupils are taught, how their progress is checked and how schools are evaluated, reducing the gap between classroom practice and system-wide measurement.

PISA pressure sits behind the review

The timing is significant. The OECD analysis arrives with roughly two months to go before a new set of PISA findings is released, after the 2023 publication of results from PISA 2022 triggered alarm in Catalonia. PISA is the OECD's international assessment of 15-year-olds in reading, maths and science, and the last cycle placed renewed focus on Catalonia's academic performance.

The wider OECD PISA 2022 Results (Volume I) set out the international benchmark now shaping policy responses across education systems, including Catalonia. The Generalitat sought the OECD review as part of that response, with the aim of identifying practical measures rather than a single short-term fix.

For school communities in Catalonia, the report does not itself change rules overnight. It does, however, set out the areas the regional government is most likely to prioritise next: classroom inclusion, teacher support, school leadership and assessment. Those are the points parents, staff and school governing bodies will need to watch as the Generalitat decides whether to turn the OECD recommendations into concrete policy.

Reported by Source Text Link, Diana Silva, gpseducation.oecd.org, russpain.com, Esther Armora, catalannews.com, europapress.es, Ivanna Vallespín, E. Armora, Efe, cmec.ca, oecd.org, Marta Sánchez Iranzo, Soledad Domínguez, en.wikipedia.org, Olga Pereda, Diari ARA.