‘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.