Everyone has things that they are good at (mine include writing rambling blog posts, and science) and things that they are not good at (for me, spelling and being tidy). We all know that, and we all accept that (although it can be hard to acknowledge our own strengths and accept our weaknesses). The education system, however, dictates that some subjects (maths and English) need to be taken until a learner either reaches 18 or reaches a certain level, and if that level isn’t reached, maths and English can then become integral parts of apprenticeships no matter how old the learner is. Everyone is expected to get a 4 or above at GCSE or an alternative level 2 qualification in English and maths. However, I feel that although that should be a good thing, it’s not always attainable. Some people just aren’t that capable in those subjects – but they will be far more capable of achieving other subjects.

As I have typed countless times before, both of our children have dyslexia, and although these categories or classifications aren’t used any more, one has severe dyslexia and the other significant dyslexia. This means that English as a written subject is tough for both of them. However, due to having a supportive family and access to different qualifications, they both have level 2 English, one with 2 GCSEs (literature and language) and the other with Functional Skills. They also both have level 2 maths.

Our eldest is a natural sportsman. Apart from paddle boarding, we have yet to find a sport he doesn’t do well in – everything from surfing to rugby to American football to cricket to shot put, he just ‘can’, and usually effortlessly. He is also incredibly musical, and has self taught a variety of instruments. Both of them are artistic, and both can use a range of media to create artwork. For them, art is relatively easy. I cannot do sport, it’s not in my nature – my hand-eye coordination is relatively poor, and I just don’t take competitive sports seriously. I am musical, although not like our eldest, and I am creative, but more with making than with fine art.

Our youngest is taking 4 A-levels in maths, physics, biology and chemistry. When people are told this, most of them wince or make a comment about ‘smart lad then’. Yes, he is – they both are – but these subjects play to his strengths. He is a scientist, he has a scientific and mathematical way of looking at the world. While this won’t be an easy combination to study over the next 2 years, it will be academically fulfilling for him. Already after a 3 week taster, he is enjoying the subjects more because they are harder than the GCSEs were. For him, taking English Language, English Literature and Drama would be hard subjects because of the way these are taught and assessed, and the subjects themselves – he doesn’t enjoy English as a subject and he is not comfortable in drama.

Whether we find a subject easy, hard, challenging or just impossible is down to our strengths, interests and motivation. It saddens me when I see reports about cuts in funding to art subjects – these are not soft subjects, and we need the dreamers and people with imagination to dream up new things and solutions to problems. Yes, we need scientists, we need doctors, and we need teachers and farmers and lorry drivers and shop workers and cleaners and everything else! But what we need most of all, I think, is people doing jobs that play to their strengths, doing jobs (or courses or subjects) that make them feel fulfilled and that make them feel happy.

Having level 2 maths or English, or having 9 GCSEs, or having a PhD won’t make you happy unless you are doing what you want to be doing. We need to stop ticking boxes and making people fit into societally decided round holes, and instead we all need to embrace our square peg-ness and do what we are good at, and what makes us happy – and then then world may be a much better place!

PS Yes, this is idealistic, but in these strange and scary times, idealism and optimism and hope are very, very important!