The UK's education system is ranked sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson.

The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.

The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.

Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.

International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.

The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

The UK is then ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.

These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France.

At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.

These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.

Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.

It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.

The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.

Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".

根据培生教育公司公布的全球教育排行榜，英国的教育系统在发达国家中排在第六位。

第一名和第二名被芬兰和韩国占据。

这一排行榜结合了国际性考试成绩以及2006年到2010年间的毕业率等数据。

培生公司的首席教育顾问迈克•巴伯爵士说，在教育成功的国家，教师地位都很高，而且这些国家都有自己的“教育文化”。

对教育进行全球性比较变得日益重要——这一排行榜是在一系列国际性考试成绩以及上大学人数等教育系统评价指标基础上得出的。

排名仅次于芬兰和韩国这两个教育大国的是亚洲的香港、日本和新加坡，它们也拥有出色的教育系统。

英国是教育水平位于平均线以上的国家中排名最靠前的，其他教育水平中上的国家还包括荷兰、新西兰、加拿大和爱尔兰。

其后是排名居中的国家，包括美国、德国和法国。

排名最靠后的国家是墨西哥、巴西和印尼。

评比数据来源于每三或四年举行一次的考试成绩，涉及的领域包括数学、自然科学和读写能力，因此呈现出的结果也比现实情况落后了几年。

从这些成功的教育系统来看，该研究得出结论说，教育支出很重要，但是更重要的是有支持学习的文化。

研究指出，用教育支出来衡量成果更容易，而社会对教育的态度产生的影响虽然较复杂，但意义很重大。

报告指出，从亚洲国家和地区在排行中的成功可以看出他们对教育的高度重视和父母们的高度期许。当这些亚洲地区的家庭移居到其他国家后，这种高度重视的态度依然会对孩子的教育产生影响。

报告称，排名居首的两个国家——芬兰和韩国有许多很大的不同，但是它们的共同点是全社会都认为教育很重要，而且认为教育还有“潜在的道德教化目的”。