"At NAGC we have known for many years that some of our country's most able pupils are not being stretched and challenged and this work by HMC just goes to confirm our suspicions. Whilst we recognise the excellent work being done in some schools almost in spite of the examinations systems, just one child or young person being allowed to coast below their potential should not be allowed to happen. The consequences do not bear thinking about for the child or young person in terms of their self-esteem and future success. The consequences of this for the UK as a whole of just one child failing to reach their potential is already being seen in our position on the international education league tables and is a disgrace."

The question now for all of us is will the changes proposed by Michael Gove on the examinations system mean that every child, including those with high learning potential, reach their full potential or are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater? At NAGC we are waiting to see.

Read the HMC full report here.