Less Stats, More Solutions

Updated on 12/11/2025

I read with interest the article in The Guardian, titled ‘Quarter of a million children enter secondary school without basic maths and English’, which yet again painted a ‘doom and gloom’ picture of the state of our education system.

The article stirred a heady mix of thoughts within me. I was interviewed on BBC Radio Tees soon after, but I’ve had cause to reflect further on what this truly tells us about the education landscape.

The Problem: Playing a Finite Game

In my view, this article, as with so many prior occasions, highlights the juxtaposition between setting targets and reality.

Since I started teaching 20 years ago, we seem to be more obsessed with tracking the life out of education. Constant monitoring and target setting is making education feel finite, when in fact it’s arguably one of the most infinite things we have.

In game theory, James Carse defines finite vs. infinite games as:

• “Finite games are defined as known players, fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective.”
• “An infinite game is defined as known and unknown players, the rules are changeable, and the objective is not to win—the objective is to keep playing, keep perpetuating the game."

In our target-driven education system, are we applying finite rules upon an infinite game? As soon as a target is applied, you’re playing a finite game, aiming for an arbitrary statistic, rather than truly focusing on a long-term sustainable solution. We need less stats and more sustainable, long-lasting solutions.

What If We Changed the Game?

What if the statistics stopped? We're tracking things in such detail that we’ve forgotten what we're here to do.

What would happen if league tables went? If progress measures went? If all ‘end point’ assessments, apart from GCSEs, went?

What if we stopped judgment? Ofsted is finite. On the day Ofsted arrive you achieved "X," and that achievement sticks with you for years. And then what?

At each change in government comes the inevitable change in education focus. Whether it’s exam reform or curriculum changes, it lessens stability and makes our education system finite. Surely, we need to be focusing on a long-term sustainable solution that outlives whichever party happens to be in charge.

A System-Wide Focus, Not Blame

Rather than asking, "what’s going wrong?" and pointing the finger of blame at the classroom, let’s consider the entire system.

Every time we stick arbitrary stats on education, we're plunging it into a finite game. We're trying to solve an infinite game with a finite solution.

This recent revelation about Year 6 progress speaks of reading, but all humans develop reading at different paces. Reading development is infinite. Yes, schools and teachers should intervene, and yes, they should make sure they have the right tools and programmes to hand, like Lexonic Advance or Lexonic Leap. They must teach the need, not the label or the statistic.

And then there's the blame across phases. How is that helping? If certain measures were removed, could that lead to more professional collaboration?

The targets are the problem, not the teachers. What would happen if we were brave enough to strip all the recording back and just focus on teaching our expertise and truly had the mantra that no one should be limited because they can't read?

Playing the Infinite Game

Am I an optimist? Yes, of course I am, but it's not woolly optimism. It’s real optimism embedded in experience, professionalism, and a belief that we can create a world-leading education system. But we’re not going to do that if we keep playing the finite game.

Playing the infinite game means investing in solutions that last. It means giving students the foundational, lifelong skills to succeed, not just helping them hit a target. Our interventions are designed for this very purpose—to be the sustainable solution that moves beyond the stats and creates real change.

Stop Chasing Stats. Start Building Skills.

If you are a school leader focused on the "infinite game" of providing long-term, sustainable literacy solutions, we are your partner.

Our evidence-based interventions empower your staff to deliver rapid, lasting literacy gains, giving learners the foundational skills they need for life.

Schedule a demo with our literacy experts today.