Educating all

Whenever an education league table is produced, Yorkshire usually finds itself at the bottom – or just above the relegation zone, to use sporting parlance.

The success and joy we report on during GCSE and A-level results day makes way for questions about why so many children, at both primary and secondary level, struggle to achieve expected standards.

In almost every measure – primary school tests, GCSEs, and truancy – Yorkshire fares as badly as any other region in England. Critics will question the value of such league tables and it is important to remember that they do not tell us everything about the quality of a school or its teaching.

What they do provide, however, is a stark warning about the life chances of the children who are failing to make the grade – and this is particularly serious in those Yorkshire towns which traditionally suffer from high unemployment.

The consequences of this are clear. This summer we reported that the number of young people who were out of work or education in Yorkshire was at its highest level since records began.

Pupils who fail to master the basics at primary school are blighted throughout the rest of their education, and this region has traditionally dropped further behind the national average as students progress through school.

From today, the Yorkshire Post will carry a week of expert analysis on how the situation can be addressed.

Everyone from leading headteachers to college and higher education bosses, including Professor Michael Arthur who heads the University of Leeds, will give their view on the key to success. Every year which passes with Yorkshire lagging behind represents another age group who have not reached their potential. This cannot be allowed to continue.