‘Exam-obsessed’ schools leave pupils unready for work, Alan Milburn says

Former minister leading review into young people and work cites survey showing most teachers decry lack of ‘soft skills’ An “exam-obsessed” school system is leaving young people unprepared for work, Alan Milburn has said, as new polling suggests teachers believe pupils are leaving education without the skills they need for adult life. Milburn, a former cabinet minister under Tony Blair and now leading a government-commissioned review into young people and work, said the system had become overly focused on academic sorting rather than real-world readiness. He said: “Teachers are right. We have built an education system that is brilliant at sorting young people by academic ability and poor at equipping them for adult life. Time and again employers say young people are not work ready.” His intervention comes as a YouGov survey of 1,004 primary and secondary school teachers in the UK found nearly three-quarters (74%) said there was too much emphasis on passing exams; while 73% said there was not enough focus on preparing pupils for employment or developing “soft skills”. Milburn said the data should act as a “gauntlet” to schools and policymakers, saying that academ

Apr 20, 2026 → Apr 20, 2026