HE: the Great Escape - Alan Harris-Reid - Page 5
"But surely they need exam passes if they are going to do well in life?"
Most adults claim that exam results are the passport to a successful life. As long as our society places more importance on GCSE and A-level passes than real skills which are of use in the real world, that will remain the case, but look at the harm this attitude doing to our young people meanwhile, and the pressure they are being subject to. What good is it doing? The system is geared towards testing, more testing, exams and more exams. Crazy!
It's SKILLS that make the world go round, not pieces of paper saying you have 4 GCSEs at grade C. There are (and probably always will be) potential employers and places of further-education which insist on paper qualifications, but the balance is changing and in many places skills and experiences are now being recognized just as much as exam passes.
If a child of (eg.) 13 is more interested in motors and engines than any lesson they are 'fed' at school, why can't it be arranged so that (s)he pursues that interest in a garage as an apprentice mechanic? They wouldn't 'get in the way' (a horrible phrase used by adults who don't enjoy the company of young people), they could just observe, or get some practical experience stripping-down a disused engine, and even get paid if they were productive towards the business.
If a child really loves art or music they could be out in the real-world learning about script-writing, back-stage electronics or how to make guitars. It's never too young to start if the child is interested, but can they do it within the current schooling system and its extremely narrow (and boring) National Curriculum?
Either way, the experience gained is far more valuable than any exam certificate.