A study released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Unesco has said that academic selection and the streaming of pupils into different ability groups harms educational achievement.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Gwen Evans, ATL's joint acting general secretary said: "The OECD/Unesco study that state run education systems can simultaneously achieve educational quality and equity for all will be music to teachers' ears.

"The report confirms the messages that ATL members gave [schools minister] David Miliband at their annual conference. Successful systems trust teachers. Successful systems capitalise on the parents' skills as well as allowing schools freedom to innovate. And it helps when spending is higher rather than lower. What successful systems do not need to do is select and reject.

"Our government has shown a keen awareness of the importance of global competitiveness. It will be difficult for them to learn to trust teachers but unless they do, children in this country will continue to have their progress hampered by inequitable and insufficient funding and by Whitehall dictation."

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said: "The OECD report is an indictment of streaming and selection. There can no longer be any argument for selection. It is a message the government cannot afford to ignore. Nor can it ignore the message that teachers must have autonomy to take professional decisions.

"It is a reasonable inference that heavy handed interventions from government on testing are working against children enjoying learning, particularly reading which is a fundamental prerequisite for success."