During the consultation on Butler’s 1944 Education Act, employers were asked what they expected of state education. Their response was straightforward: it should teach literacy, numeracy and obedience. At the same time, the great public schools were focusing on developing leadership skills and character.
Nearly three quarters of a century later few would argue for a system that simply prepares young people for their allotted place in life. The world has changed. From the 1980s onwards commentators on all sides of the political divides have argued that new circumstances may demand new skills or, at the very least, that the skills and competencies once required by the few are now needed by the many.
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