Beyond the Academic Label

According to today's TES, recent survey data suggests that more than a quarter of secondary schools in England do not offer any vocational qualifications at Key Stage 4 (for pupils aged 14–16).

I suspect that the proportion is even higher among independent schools, where the curriculum is often centred on more traditional academic pathways.

The TES also reports that technical pathways are more commonly offered in disadvantaged areas. That raises an interesting question.

Do families who choose independent education really want only an academic or traditional route for their children? I'm not convinced they do.

For too long, we've attached a certain intellectual prestige to the word academic, as though it represents the gold standard and everything else is somehow a lesser option. That kind of thinking does a disservice to young people whose strengths lie in designing, building, creating, performing, solving practical problems or developing technical expertise.

Surely the question shouldn't be whether a pathway is labelled academic or vocational, but whether it is the right one for the individual child. Success comes in many forms, and our education system should celebrate all of them with equal confidence.