What the opposition says

British schools should not seek to emulate China's academic system because it is wrong "to confuse league-table success with a good education", the headmaster of Eton has said.

Tony Little warned that British children would suffer in the global job market if they were forced into the "straitjacket" that confines Chinese pupils rather than receiving a well-rounded education.

China was held up as a model of academic success by Michael Gove, the recently departed Education Secretary. He called for a "cultural revolution" in the classroom, arguing that "schools in the Far East are turning out students who are working at an altogether higher level than our own".

Liz Truss, who was Education Minister until last month's reshuffle, declared in January that British teachers should "learn from the Asian tigers" by putting children through after-school classes and restructuring the school day to convert free moments between lessons into a 30-minute "enrichment session".

Shanghai students topped a recent international league table of reading, maths and science tests while the UK ranked just 26th. The government sent 50 maths teachers to the Chinese city to study their methods.

However, Mr Little said the approach was wrong and would create a generation of children who can pass exams with ease but are missing other, vital skills.

Writing in the Radio Times, he described a recent conversation with the headmaster of a leading school in Shanghai who complained that the gaokao exam - China's equivalent of A-levels - was too restrictive.

"He told me he felt his school system was heading for the edge of the cliff and did not know how to change direction," Mr Little said.

"He was concerned that his students did not have the contextual skills to compete in a globalised economy - the ability to develop, amend and present an idea, the capacity to think laterally.

"And where did he look for inspiration? To Britain. And here is the irony: We seem intent on creating the same straitjacket the Chinese are trying to wriggle out of. We should be wary of emulating Shanghai just as they themselves see some value in the liberal values of an all-round education - something we have traditionally been good at."

He concluded: "Let us stand up for robust academic rigour and applaud our young people for their achievements, but let us not confuse league-table success with a good education."

Mr Little has run Eton since 2002 and is an old boy of the school. He steps down next year.

He offered qualified support for the Lancashire primary school head who was criticised last month for sending out a letter - later revealed to have been copied from the Internet - telling pupils that "being smart" was about more than exam results. The letter said playing a musical instrument, painting a picture or being a good friend were also skills to be valued.

Mr Little said he had "some sympathy" for the criticism because expectations of academic achievement should remain high. However, he added: "A sharp focus on performance is a good thing, but there is a great deal more to an effective and good education than jostling for position in a league table.

"The Lancashire teachers were right - there are many ways of being smart."

The current system of students sitting alone at desks to complete exam papers in silence should be overhauled, Mr Little said, as it has remained unchanged since Victorian times bears no relation to "a world in which, for much of the time, they will need to work collaboratively".

Mr Little will step down from his post next year to make way for a new headmaster, Simon Henderson. At 38, Mr Henderson is one of the youngest heads in Eton's history.

(China Daily USA 09/17/2014 page11)