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Having worked in education for over 26 years, including more than a decade as an executive head, I know that the years from year five to year 13 are decisive in shaping learners. These are the years when young people build the knowledge that supports examinations and future destinations, while also developing the executive function skills – organisation, focus, adaptability, planning and self-regulation – that underpin lifelong learning.

Recent policy has focused on rigour, accountability and measurable outcomes. While these are important, they can narrow education to short-term attainment. Our responsibility as leaders is not only to meet statutory requirements but also to equip learners with the resilience and flexibility to thrive in unpredictable futures. 

Executive function as a foundation 

Executive function is not a separate subject. It develops through the way learning is structured and experienced: opportunities to make choices, solve problems, reflect and apply knowledge in meaningful contexts. Under pressure to cover content, such opportunities are easily lost. 

Research shows executive function predicts success beyond school. It supports employability, adaptability and civic participation. In a world shaped by automation and rapid change, these skills are essential. They also matter for well-being – learners who can regulate emotions and manage setbacks are more likely to flourish academically and personally. 

The risk of rigidity 

Accountability pressures can tempt schools to rely on rigid curricular models. While structure is vital, inflexibility risks disengagement. Learners who cannot connect classroom content with their own lives often lose motivation. Engagement and attainment then suffer, along with opportunities to build executive function. 

Policy is unlikely to shift quickly or radically, but within the present framework there is room for creativity. An agile curriculum does not mean lowering standards. It means creating space for collaboration, project-based learning, real-world problem-solving and reflection – experiences that nurture the skills exams cannot measure. 

Lifelong learning as necessity 

The idea of lifelong learning is no longer rhetorical but a societal imperative. We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world – shaped by global pandemics, technological disruption, geopolitical shifts and climate change. To navigate such realities, individuals must be able to learn continuously, adapt and reframe challenges.

Education is not just preparation for a first job or set of grades. It prepares learners for careers that may span multiple industries, for critical engagement with information and for active citizenship. Lifelong learning is the foundation of personal, social and economic resilience.

The role of leadership 

School leaders must deliver accountability while safeguarding a broader vision of education. This requires clarity and courage: balancing compliance with aspiration and supporting staff to embed executive function across the learner journey.

Policy change is often slow, but schools already show how creative curriculum design can both meet statutory requirements and nurture wider capabilities. Executive function should not be seen as an add-on but as integral to learning itself. When schools model agility, learners develop it. When schools encourage reflection, learners internalise it. 

Shaping the learner journey

Between year five and year 13, schools shape not only knowledge but identities. These years see young people experiment with independence, encounter social expectations and begin mapping adulthood. To focus only on knowledge acquisition risks leaving them unprepared for life’s wider demands.

An agile, reflective education can achieve both – equipping learners with the subject knowledge needed for assessments while nurturing executive function skills that sustain them in study, work and life. This is not about lowering expectations but broadening them: seeing success not only in grades but in learners who are resilient, adaptable and capable of growth. 

Looking ahead 

The debate about curriculum design is too often framed as a choice between rigour and relevance. The reality is we need both. Learners require strong subject foundations and the executive function skills to apply knowledge flexibly in an unstable world.

After more than a decade as an executive head, I believe our greatest responsibility is not just preparing learners for exams but ensuring they can learn for life. By valuing executive function alongside attainment, and by designing curricula that reflect learners’ realities, we can move beyond short-term targets. We can prepare young people for the lifelong journey of learning and enable them to contribute meaningfully to society in uncertain times. 

Melissa Farnham
CEO, ASDAN