The school curriculum is so centred around children passing exams, it’s lost touch with what school should be about: another step in helping children be prepared for the ‘real’ world, or the world of work that is almost inevitable in our society. The curriculum needs to be a well-rounded set of skills that are taught to children in order for them to be able to live independently after moving on in their education, rather than just knowing how to answer 4 essays in 2 hours. There is an argument that school prepares you for exams and your parents prepare you for later life, but this is classist in assuming that children’s parents have both those skills to begin with, and the time to properly teach their children these skills. State schools should provide lessons in more useful life skills, as well as having less exam focussed work, and more subjects that are compulsory for students to learn about society and politics. It’s clear that schools should teach English and Maths, and ...