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Our country’s education system - built by committed advocates of universal entitlement - maintains a deservedly strong reputation. International comparisons show that England performs strongly and has improved over time.

In large part this improvement has been achieved through consensus among successive governments on how our schools should spearhead the drive for excellence.

Investment in curriculum, assessment, teacher development and school leadership has made our system vibrant, with wonderful practice underpinned by robust evidence.

Such progress should not be casually dismissed.

However, we must acknowledge that our education system is not working for every child.

Thousands of young people leave school each year unable to read well. Many become disengaged from learning during secondary school and fail to achieve the GCSE outcomes that will open doors.

This systemic failure is manifested in over 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds being classed as Neet (not in education, employment or training), according to recent data.

So, while we have made huge strides forward, a significant minority of young people have found themselves adrift.

Technical education offers an alternative

This tension emerged repeatedly during the .

We heard evidence time and again about young people who do not see the relevance of what they are studying. By the age of 14, some have already concluded that school is not a place where they can succeed.

That leaves us with a difficult decision.Ìý

Do we simply double down on the current approach and hope for a better outcome? Or do we consider whether some young people need something different?

It is because of this conundrum that I am open-minded about the government’s MBacc proposals.

Vocational learning is not right for everyone, nor is it a panacea for the problems we face.

And I don’t imagine that every 14-year-old will be ready to choose between a university route and a vocational route. Most should continue to study a broad and balanced academic curriculum until 16.

But there is a group who would benefit from a carefully constructed blend of academic learning, technical or vocational education and work-related experience.

The key question is whether the new proposals can provide something that many existing vocational qualifications have failed to deliver: a coherent pathway that remains sufficiently broad and permeable to enable a change of direction for its learners.

Too often vocational qualifications have been add-ons to the curriculum. Young people may have completed a course without understanding how it links to future employment, apprenticeships or further study.

As schools receive limited recognition for vocational outcomes within accountability measures, their appeal has been limited. The result is a system that satisfies nobody.

Building a better model

A better model would need to be fundamentally different.

It would offer recognised technical pathways from Year 10 for students who would genuinely benefit. This would not necessarily require new qualifications but could organise existing qualifications into coherent and credible packages.

It would build stronger relationships between schools and employers, and align educational opportunities with local labour market needs. Most importantly, it would create a genuine line of sight from the classroom to employment, apprenticeships and further education.

That is not a second-class education. It is not a return to the two-tier system where technical education was a poor relation, nor is it a rejection of excellence.

It is an attempt to answer a question that the education system has wrestled with for decades: what do we offer the young person for whom the traditional academic route is not working?

Of course, there are risks. There is a danger of low expectations and disproportionate representation of disadvantaged pupils on a vocational pathway. Implementation may be harder than the rhetoric suggests. Those concerns are legitimate and must be taken seriously.

However, doing nothing is not an option.

We cannot tolerate a situation where large numbers of young people leave school without qualifications, confidence or a clear route into adult life. Our country cannot afford the disengagement of another generation.

But we should also be confident when we say that secure literacy and numeracy, scientific understanding and a broad base of cultural and civic knowledge are not simply preparation for university.

They are the foundations of successful employment, informed citizenship and continued learning. They matter just as much to a future technician, care worker or construction professional as they do to a future graduate.

We should therefore scrutinise the government’s proposals, demand detail and insist on the highest of standards.

We should protect academic ambition while exploring alternative pathways for those pupils whom the current system is not serving well.

Our education system has been built by great leaders and teachers who had the courage to think creatively. This is what we must do now, acknowledging that for our education system to work for every child, it may need more than one route to success.

Sir Hamid Patel CBE is chief executive of Star Academies

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