Exam grades and school tables

I spotted this article in the Times today: Over-reliance on exams leaves young bereft of social skills The Times’ Anthony Seldon says the continued focus on exam performance is robbing the young of the opportunity to develop their own “innate capacities”. He cites a paper from Harvard which argues jobs with the biggest growth since the 80s have been those that require a high degree of social skills, with women disproportionately benefiting from this shift. Described as “soft skills” by the establishment, they are left by the wayside in the UK, to the frustration of employers, says Mr Seldon. “Skills that employers want are those that computers cannot, at least for now, perform.” He calls for a better mix of academic rigour and broad education. Anthony Seldon was of course, until recently, the Headteacher at Wellington College. After our best ever exam performance it is a good year for me to comment. I agree with him of course, however in reality all state schools are at the mercy of league tables and Ofsted. We want to do all we can to help young people discover and develop their "innate capacities". As long as they also get some good results, making sure the doors to university and employment remain open to them and ensuring the doors to their school follow suit!