More than 80 per cent of pupils find school 'unexciting'

Its survey of 1,000 14- to 19-year-olds found that 83 per cent thought school was unexciting, 45 per cent were not interested in school work being set and three-quarters believed that the current education system needs radical reform.

Around four out of ten went so far as to describe school as irrelevant and boring.

Another concern voiced by just over half of 15- to 16-year-olds was that schools failed to prepare them for employment.

These latest figures have been released to promote a campaign by Edge called Six Steps to Change, which calls for an overhaul of the curriculum to better prepare pupils for adulthood and employment.

Andy Powell, chief executive of Edge, said: "Young people are clear in their condemnation of the current education system. It's often dull, uninspiring and irrelevant to the world of work. It has to change and ensure there are many high-quality paths to success available."

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that an emphasis on testing and exams is also to blame for pupils' lack of interest in school life.

She said: "So many pupils find their education dull and irrelevant because they are being fed a continuous diet of tests and exams within a narrow national curriculum dictated by the government. "