What's the meaning of life anyway?

The latest OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report has looked at Scottish Schools and is calling for a radical shake-up of the exam structure including the demise of Standard grades.

Nothing new there. The end of Standard grade has been predicted for some years. Education needs to evolve with the times as does its exam structure. It also comments on our high numbers of those leaving school and not finding employment, training or more education.

Real change is needed to deal with this deep rooted issue. What we must not do however, is creates a false dichotomy between vocational choices and academic ones where the vocational ones are there for those who are "disengaged" and the academic ones are for those who can cope with the system.

That still puts the system in charge, not the pupil.

Disaffection comes for many reasons and usually begins not in the classroom but the living room. The classroom solutions need to free not restrict. That will mean all of us changing our view of success from things that can be counted and put in league tables to ways of expressing success in term of progress towards the goals young people have themselves.

Not easy but its the only way the system won't still be in charge.