I think this is illustrative of a broader blindspot in policymaking. Education policy is key to economic growth as a country moves from low to high income, but after a certain point the opposite force becomes stronger: *the economy drives educational outcomes*.
The UK outperforms most of its peers on education, whether measured in international school assessments, university attendance or measures of adult skills.
But for the past two decades it has done very badly on the economy: weak productivity growth, stagnant wages and continued loss of skilled manufacturing jobs.
So rather than strong education performance making everyone happy or better-off, it has made everyone angry that they put in the work, acquire the skills, but end up with crap outcomes, often worse than their parents.
Full piece: https://t.co/nGcH670VqE