I read a really shocking report on the Daily Mail titled: “one in ten white boys fails to get 5 GCSEs as fears grow their futures will be blighted”. This is just a national average though; some areas have a higher failure rate that goes up to 22.3% not getting these GCSEs 

Can you believe that the figures are that bad? And how did they become that bad? They say that failure to get 5 GCSEs has been associated with poverty at home, living in a deprived area, changing schools during your GCSE year and parental divorce. I never knew that disruption could have such a dangerous effect on one’s learning.

The report really questioned if we are doing enough to help teenage boys with issues that could have damaging effects on their education and their future. When I went to secondary school there was always one group who put in no effort and would often truant and do as they liked. Some of the teachers at my school would put in a lot of effort and really try to help them learn. We would change learning styles etc but they never seemed to want to know. Do you think some of these teenage boys are willing to help themselves?

Or do they perhaps need more support from their parents? Are parents being too soft and not applying enough pressure? I know I was never allowed to play until my homework was done! Perhaps a work ethic is something you should be taught when you are younger?

My other question is: do you think lack of GCSEs is going to go against them when looking for Kent jobs? At a time like this there is a lot of job competition and recruiters can really cherry pick who they want. Without GCSEs do you have much of a future? Are there alternate routes you can take perhaps? Like taking an apprenticeship?