I RECENTLY read an article about a breakthrough in cancer treatment, which came about when scientists turned their approach upside down. Instead of asking why certain people get cancer, they changed tack and instead asked why doesn’t everybody get cancer.

A different perspective apparently led to some important steps forward in the battle against cancer.

This prompted me to consider a parallel approach to education.

With frequent emphasis on the negative aspects of our education system, we are often blind to the achievements of our young people and their teachers.

A change of perspective could be valuable here, too, and perhaps we should be asking why do most of our teenagers not fail in their education? After all, the vast majority of students in Britain gain a good education.

It is not easy to be a pupil. How many adults would relish the thought of spending five years of their lives in the same building with the same people every day (whom they have not chosen to be with), wearing the same clothes every day, learning topics which may or may not be of interest to them and then finishing off the day with further required periods of study imposed upon them?

Probably not many, I imagine. Yet a great many pupils will thrive in these very circumstances at school.

So, what factors lead to pupils not failing?

My first answer would be motivation, resilience, drive and "fire in the belly".

I once taught a boy who would get his younger siblings ready for school in the morning, care for his sick mother, then head off to school.

He would return to oversee the family evening routine before he began his homework.

He really valued the future which his education might provide, and he was determined not to give up on his studies, no matter what the hurdles.

Several other factors contribute to a pupil’s success. Hard work, a solid routine and good organisation will get you a very long way.

Luck and unexpected life challenges also play a key role, of course.

Innate viability is very important, but not top of my list. I have taught pupils with, in theory, much less innate ability than their peers who have gone to greater successes than anticipated, largely because of their hard work.

Excellent teaching and schools which are able to inspire, challenge and care for their pupils as they grow up, are clearly hugely significant in helping young people succeed.

I think we all know that having someone truly believe in you and who will simply not let you fail is vital.

Support and encouragement, with a focus on all that is healthy and a willingness to build upon this, rather than looking only at the negative, can achieve wonders.

So, the next time you hear someone bemoaning the state of education today, take a moment to consider all that our young people achieve and remember that the vast majority of our young people do not fail, despite the odds.

A change of perspective can bring about a breakthrough.