Statistics show that students from East Asian families consistently outperform other pupils in western school systems, a fact that politicians and educators are keen to explore. Replicating these successes is therefore a keen objective for all stakeholders.

The Institute of Education at the University of London has been looking into this and has produced a report into the matter, based on analysis of East Asian students in Australian schools.

The report found that on average, second-generation immigrants from high-achieving East Asian countries – an important distinction to bear in mind, as Chinese, Japanese and South Korean children consistently finish top in international education tests – outstripped their peers born to Australian parents.

At age 15, East Asian pupils were found to be two and a half years ahead of their Australian counterparts in terms of attainment levels. Lead author Dr John Jerrim found that their average score was 605 points, a notable 102 more than native students.

Dr Jerrim said that while his analysis has yet to uncover a single answer to the academic excellence demonstrated by East Asian pupils in studying in western schools, he has identified a number of factors that play a significant role in enhancing their abilities.

During his investigation, the expert, who is based at the Institute of Education, asked students sitting the Programme for International Student Assessment maths test (Pisa) – which forms part of the OECD's triennial international survey that examines worldwide education systems – to fill out a background questionnaire.

This asked questions along the lines of their parent's country of birth and the value they placed on education, particularly the idea of delivering above average grades. Pupils were also asked about their own attitudes towards education – especially maths – what they got up to outside of school and what they aspired to do in life.

Interestingly, he discovered that "family background factors" played an important role in fostering an environment in which East Asian pupils were able to excel in education. Parental education, for example, was found to account for nearly 20 per cent of the 102 point division between East Asian and Australian-born pupils.

Other patterns included East Asian parents being more active in finding high-performing schools to send their children to. Dr Jerrim commented that although this is an area that warrants further investigation, it seems evident that East Asian parents invest in their children's education markedly more than western parents.

Furthermore, a hard work ethic is demonstrated in East Asian students. This is not to say that this is the rule and that pupils from western families are any less motivated to work, but an acknowledgement that in general, East Asian children and young people will do more by way of study outside of school (an extra six hours a week at home, according to this study).

"The attitudes and beliefs East Asian parents instill in their children make an important contribution to their high levels of academic achievement," Dr Jerrim was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

"Yet as such factors are heavily influenced by culture and home environment, they are likely to be beyond the control of schools. Greater recognition needs to be given to this point in public discourse. Indeed, policymakers should make it clear that there are many influences upon a country’s Pisa performance, and that climbing significantly up these rankings is unlikely to be achieved by the efforts of schools alone."