But the next step is surely to develop the program incentives to boost motivation and the teaching framework to support weaker learners and to properly resource the schools that have to do the hardest work. Third, we know that vocational training is vital, both for individuals and the economy. It can come as no surprise that in regions where the quality of school experience is on average poorer, interest in further education or training is also likely to be lower. So the training system, despite its potential and its history, ends up under-exploited by the communities who stand to gain most from it. However, it is not only low achievement at school and lack of meaning that lead to vocational training also being neglected.
Economic fears make families more sensitive to prestige signals about tertiary courses.
Disadvantaged parents may be more inflexible about what their children need than well-educated parents. University education, since it is the preferred path of the highest-income groups, must surely be the right choice. This leads to a fourth major issue - the extent of real diversity in tertiary education and the effectiveness of lines of access. Too much of our policy effort to date has focused on the vertical link between schools and university. Without much greater diversity in tertiary education, we surrender young people to the narrow agenda of university selection.