Selective school systems such as grammar streams lower children’s expectations and impact negatively on the wider education system, world experts have said.

As the Government pushes forward plans to create new free schools and expand the grammar system in England, a major global report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggests students attending selective schools are more likely to be subject to high levels of anxiety and poor self-esteem.

The study – based on the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests, which are taken by 15-year-olds across the developed world – also shows the UK to be lagging behind in terms of young people’s social and emotional wellbeing.

“In education systems that separate students into different types of schools, students’ expectations are lower than in systems that have a comprehensive approach to schooling at the primary and lower secondary level,” the report concludes.

“Social segregation that clusters poor students in poor schools might tamp down students’ expectations for, and beliefs in, themselves.”

Government plans to open around 140 new schools, including some grammars, have been met with fierce criticism by industry leaders who claim the move is a “backwards step” which “does little to improve social mobility”.

The new research – which compares student experiences in 34 different countries – found UK children were more likely to be bullied, suffer with anxiety and maintain lower levels of satisfaction than many of their global peers.

The study’s authors noted: “Long study hours represent another possible factor of schoolwork-related anxiety. Students in selective, high-pressure schools might feel obliged to invest extra hours of work to comply with external expectations and with their own motivation for academic achievement.”

On a scale of one to 10, British pupils had an average satisfaction score of 6.98, compared with the OECD average of 7.31.

Of further concern, was that young British people reported having lower than average life satisfaction.

Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Show all 20 1 /20 Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Singapore Singapore was the top performing country across all three subjects (maths, science and reading) in the 2015 PISA tables. The small Asian country is renowned for its high academic standards and produces excellent results, particularly in mathematics. Pupils here learn maths by what is known as the “mastery method,” which teaches children how to solve problems as a class and errs away from more traditional recitations of formulae. Singapore selects its teachers from the top 5 per cent of graduates, and teachers are very highly regarded as societal influencers. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Japan Japanese schools came in 2nd for Science, 5th in the world for maths and 8th for reading skills. Japan has one of the best-education populations, with zero illiteracy recorded and strong emphasis on arithmetic and geography. While children around the world typically learn between 26 and 33 letters of the alphabet, Japanese pupils will know 1,006 kanji characters by the time they leave primary school. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Estonia Dubbed the “new Finland” by some, Estonia has risen rapidly towards the top of the Pisa rankings despite being one of the world’s youngest countries. Estonia spends around 4 per cent of GDP on education. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Taipei Taiwan has been known as a centre for technical excellence for decades and its students perform consistently well in technology, maths and sciences. Education is compulsory from age six, and some 95 per cent of all students continue their education after age 15. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Finland Children in Finland don’t start school under age seven, yet consistently produce some of the best results in the world. The country’s education system has a somewhat alternative approach to that of most OECD countries, placing emphasis on playtime and creative learning. Pupils don’t sit tests until they reach 16. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Macau Most schools in Macau are private or subsidized. There are only a handful of government or state schools, which tend to teach in Portuguese or have a strong emphasis on pupils learning the language. The majority of schools are also selective grammar schools which focus heavily on languages, mathematics and sciences over vocational subjects. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Hong Kong A former UK colony, Hong Kong education has been closely modelled on the British system in the past,. Education is free and compulsory in primary and junior secondary schools. Independent schools follow the International Baccalaureate, UK or US curricula. The territory participates separately from China (Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong) in the Pisa league tables. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education South Korea South Korea has long been one of the world’s top academic achievers, but at the price of very long school days for students. Many start school by 8am, and carry on until late at night at private study clubs. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education New Zealand While the New Zealand school curriculum is not dissimilar to the UK’s, children here are not required to start school until age six. The country also has eight state-funded universities offering degrees in a range of subjects. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education China Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Slovenia Slovenia scored highly in this year’s maths and science results. Basic education for children ages six to 15 is compulsory and free for children in Slovenia. International citizens are taught the Slovenian language at the beginning of school. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Australia Australian Pisa candidates came in 14th place for Science, 15th place for reading and 23rd place for Maths – slipping down in the ranks on previous years. Australia has the third highest number of international students in the world behind the UK and US, despite having a much lower population overall. The school system is split mainly into government state-funded schools, Catholic faith schools and independent fee-paying schools. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education United Kingdom The UK jumped to 15th place for science in this year’s Pisa tables, up from 21st in 2012. According to the report, teachers in the UK are among the youngest across all developed countries. The total amount spent on British education exceeds that of most other participating countries – and critics argue the education system should provide better results because of this. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Germany Schooling in Germany is governed by individual states, which each have their own education departments and policies. Normally, children begin primary school at age six but secondary school options vary widely. Germany increased its expenditure on educational institutions from primary to post-secondary non-tertiary levels, despite declining enrolments, and teachers have competitive salaries compared to others as a result. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Netherlands Dutch children were found to be the happiest in the world in a 2013 Unicef study. Schools typically don't give much homework until secondary level and students report little pressure and stress. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Switzerland Just five per cent of children attend private schools in Switzerland. Lessons are taught in different languages depending on the region of Switzerland, with German, French or Italian the most common languages of instruction. From secondary onwards students are separated by ability. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Ireland The majority of secondary schools in Ireland are privately owned and managed but state-funded, but there are also state comprehensives and vocational schools. The country performed especially well in Pisa reading tests - coming in fifth place globally. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Belgium Belgian schools came in 15th place for science in this year’s Pisa table. Schools here are free, and regulated and financed by three separate communities – Flemish, French and German-speaking. Boys in Belgium perform significantly better than girls in school according the latest OECD reports. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Vietnam Education in Vietnam is state run system of public and private schools. The country took part in the Pisa tests for the first time in 2012 and scored higher in reading, maths and science than the UK and US. This is believed to be partly a result of high spending levels on education and hardworking culture instilled in children from a young age. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Canada Education is compulsory up the age of 16 in most Canadian provinces, apart from Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick where pupils must stay on until 18 or when high school diploma is achieved. The education system varies between French and English-speaking provinces. Rex

Just 28 per cent of UK pupils said they were satisfied with their lives, placing them behind their French, German, Spanish, Latvian and US peers.

Almost a quarter of pupils in the UK said they were bullied at least “a few times a month”, rising to 27 per cent for the most disadvantaged pupils, the report found – 5 per cent higher than the global average.

Disadvantaged pupils also reported greater instances of being left out of things on purpose, having other students spreading negative rumours about them and being abused physically by other students.

More than 14 per cent of UK children said they were bullied even more frequently – a significantly higher figure than the OECD average of 8.9 per cent, ranking the UK the fourth highest for bullying in the world.

Around 540,000 students took part in the latest Pisa tests in 72 participating countries and economies.

Where bullying was rife, performance was affected, as schools in which more than one-tenth of pupils fell victim to it scored an average of 38 points lower on science than schools with the lowest episodes, the study found.

As many as 72 per cent of British students reported worrying about tests even if they were well-prepared, compared with the 55 per cent global average.

Just more than half (52 per cent) also said they became very tense during their studies, above the 37 per cent international mean.

Natalie Perera, executive director and head of research at the Education Policy Institute, said the Pisa report presented “stark findings” for the British Government on the wellbeing of pupils, “particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds”.

“Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to be bullied than their peers, and are more likely to skip breakfast before school – with the gap between the proportion of advantaged and disadvantaged pupils in the UK doing so the second biggest out of all 34 countries," she said.

"When it comes to university, less than a quarter of disadvantaged pupils in the UK expect to complete a degree, compared to over two-thirds of the most advantaged pupils.

“The Government’s stated commitment to tackling social mobility is welcome – yet as this report demonstrates, the UK lags behind internationally when it comes its pupils’ everyday experiences at school – with disadvantaged UK pupils lagging behind even further.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “These findings show young people have the motivation and desire to go as far as their talents can take them and that their parents are supporting them throughout their time at school.”