THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

As parents, our hopes for our children are that their lives will be better than our own.

We try to choose the schools which are rated highest in the hope that our children will be given the highest quality education available to us.

We aim for an education which will give them skills, knowledge, intelligence and enforce the moral standards which we have instilled in them.

Intelligence and knowledge are not about a vast library of facts.  That factual information is now at their fingertips with the use of the internet.  Intelligence is about how we organize that information to create a rich and detailed understanding of our world.

In the 21^st century, almost everyone has travelled outside their own country: but how many people know where they are travelling, when they drive from Birmingham to London, navigating with a Satnav.  Turn right onto the motorway, keep driving for 80 miles, then turn left onto the A30.  Are they aware of their geographical surroundings?

Intelligence is the capacity to attain knowledge about our world and other people, solve problems using reason, and master skills and the ability to live a worthwhile life.

A good education is the key to overcoming poverty and inequality.  Critical thinking and the development of reason allows us to think for ourselves, which is the key to developing personal intelligence.

The ability to pass exams and tests endowing us with a string of qualifications, does not necessarily demonstrate a high level of personal intelligence, merely a person who is good at conforming to the standards required in educational establishments.