School education is very important, of course, and your path in life is always made slightly easier if you have a good academic background. But you also have to remember that academia is not the be all and end all of life as there is no point in excelling at Latin if you do not know how to change a plug, cook a meal or answer basic car insurance questions.

Twenty years ago the problem was much worse as much of the emphasis in the private schools was on theoretical knowledge rather than how to apply it to real life. We learnt plenty of Greek and Latin which does come in pretty handy in quizzes but did not help much when it came to the real things in life like taking out mortgages and doing up the spare bedroom.

Courses now are much more practical based and kids can learn about things that will actually help them in real life including child care, computers and how to cook a decent, healthy meal.

They are in some respects much better equipped for life ahead than if they had been educated a few years ago.

The only downside is that some people say that qualifications are now worth less than they used to be as they say that school has been dumbed down as a result.