I think it's more than Teachers' pay. We need a concept of education that gives real and valuable benefits to those who participate.

Here's a wacky idea - let's make secondary education post age 14 voluntary. Then let's exclude anyone who doesn't want to be there so that the mass of children who'd like to achieve are not distracted by the disruptive minority.

Then let's offer the disruptive minority something they want to do - football, motor mechanics, build yourself a hi-fi, hairdressing, plumbing, bricklaying, I don't care if they learn wind-surfing!

What is complete rubbish is compelling disruptive children to attend school (to the dis-benefit of everyone else) and putting them in for exams they can't pass and don't value. Better to separate them and teach them something they value which might enable them to earn more than the dole.

But which political party thinks this laterally?