Britain can lead the world again, but only if we transform our schools

The decisions that Rachel Reeves will make stretch to all aspects of British life. Arguably, education is one of the most vital parts of a successful society, and we owe it to future generations to ensure that they get the best possible start to life.

The government recently unveiled their most radical change to the British curriculum in a decade, with a range of modernisations and improvements to our children’s education. From teaching students about spotting ‘fake news’ to reducing the duration of exams, there are some benefits included. However, we are kidding ourselves if we think this is the best we can do.

So much of the education system in this country is backwards. 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote from the next general election. Yet, the first time a politics qualification is offered is at A-level, when students will already have reached the voting age. How can we say that we care about young people’s voices when we don’t let them debate with their peers?

Education used to be one of our greatest exports, with students around the world aspiring to study at a British school or university. That ship has sailed. It’s about time we were bold and reintroduced the UK as an education trailblazer.

Generation Alpha are facing some of the biggest challenges in civilisation’s history. Climate change, artificial intelligence and the rise of cybercrime are all problems that our children can and will solve. We need to give them the tools to do this.

Why aren’t we training our students in programming and AI tools? Investing in the future means training for it too, and there is a great opportunity to teach students the power of artificial intelligence, develop future generations and be innovative in how to implement it. Solving healthcare issues and making efficiencies in construction mean that this investment will pay itself off, and Britain’s next workforce will be all the more resilient for it.

This budget is an opportunity for Reeves and the Labour government to put words into action to build a stronger Britain for the future. Invest in more teachers, inspirational ones that will have students hungry for more knowledge.

Fix our antiquated exam system, moving away from a world where students regurgitate a textbook and don’t use modern tools to their advantage. Encourage students to think outside the box with open-ended assessment that pushes their imaginations.

Better education leads to an inspired generation. The world’s problems are waiting to be fixed, and the solutions are being shaped in our students’ brains right now. Don’t hold them back, Mrs Reeves, let them inspire us.

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Leo Carr is a Politics Teacher and the founder of A-level revision platform Study Dog.

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