Why are we resistant to change in our Education system?

It's easy to look back at our school days and see the system as fair, effective, and maybe even perfect. But here's the thing: that's usually only true if you were one of the ones who succeeded.

“Anyone who is a success in a given system of education thinks that it is the correct one”

If you were a straight-A student or the captain of the debate team, you probably think the system is just fine. Why wouldn't you? It was built for you, and you thrived in it. But what about everyone else?

Unfortunately most people who weren’t successful at school don’t see a problem with the school, they think of themselves as the failures and not the system

The right system of education, or just confirmation bias?

I remember a conversation I had with two students who were in their first year of GCSEs. They were smart, motivated, and on track to get top grades. But at the end of a lesson, they pulled me aside and admitted something surprising: they were bored. They were still driven to get good grades, but they felt like school was just a tiresome exercise in learning facts for an exam.

This is the core of the problem: knowledge-based learning is useless for the low-achieving student and boring for the high-achieving one.

Grades can be a great confidence booster for top students, but they can also create a false finish line. You get your A* or your 9, and you think you’ve reached the pinnacle of achievement. But for the student who constantly gets grades 1-4 or D-E, grades just reinforce the message that they aren't intelligent enough.

And it’s not just students who are frustrated. I’ve heard from primary school teachers who are heartbroken because they’re being forced to teach to a test instead of focusing on giving their young students the best possible start. They know what’s right for the kids, but the system won't let them do it.

We need revolution, not evolution

I'm not the first person to argue that we should stop "teaching to the test." But my take is a little more radical. I don’t just want to tweak the system; I want a complete overhaul. A revolution, not an evolution. What if we moved beyond tests entirely and focused purely on what the young person in front of us is interested in?

Think about the successful people we celebrate - they could be the sportspeople or TV personalities or actors or business people or doctors or vets or twitch streamers or youtubers. We laud their success, but we miss a crucial detail: these people got where they got to because they managed to develop skills and techniques for success through finding a passion that drives them.

The passion is what comes first. Not good grades and a perfect attendance record.

If we find a young person’s passion then we unlock their potential.

So, how radical can we get?

Let's look at the Self Managed Learning method:

Instead of starting with subjects, we start with goals.

Instead of starting with a timetable, we start with free time.

Instead of starting with a teacher who has lots of answers, we start with a mentor who has lots of questions.

Instead of starting with what's best for the school, we start with what's best for the young person.