LAST week young people across Devon were excitedly opening their A level results, finding out if they have got the grades they need to get to their chosen university or to follow whatever path they may have decided to take.

It’s a huge moment in anyone’s life. I am proud of the performance of many of our outstanding local schools and colleges, with more than one in four results being awarded a grade A or above and eight per cent of results achieving an A*. 

I still remember my own results day and what it meant to me.

It meant I could take up a place at University, with all the opportunities that meant for me and my future.

Education is so important because it is the engine of social mobility and aspiration in our country. A good education can open so many doors.

It’s really heartening to see so many young people in Devon today doing so well and following their dreams. 

The fact education can act as that ladder to success is also why I am particularly proud of the achievements of the Conservatives in government to improve standards in our schools. 

The education reforms championed by Michael Gove and Nick Gibb since 2010 were seen as radical and controversial at the time and were hotly contested by the education sector. 

They included the expansion of academies, rolling out new free schools across the country, and a much more rigorous curriculum and focus on core traditional subjects.

As a result, we have seen our children climb from 27th to 11th in the international PISA rankings for maths.

When it comes to reading skills, nine and 10-year-olds in England are now ranked “best in the western world”.  And the proportion of schools rated good or outstanding has risen from 68 per cent to 89 per cent.

That is an incredibly positive development for the life chances of millions of young people all over England.

We are always hearing gloomy news stories about our country and its prospects.

Every week the press seems to come up with another reason to be pessimistic and assume we are doomed to fall ever further behind our international peers.

In education over the last decade or so we can point to a genuine success story.

It has taken time and a lot of work by successive ministers, and some fantastic educationalists as well, but we have quietly risen through the ranks, transforming the prospects of our young people in the process. 

Things are by no means perfect. The pandemic took a heavy toll on many people’s education, and we are still seeing concerning levels of school absences.

We also need to continue to develop our technical education offering, building on reforms such as the new T levels which are proving a success in our schools and colleges and seeing more people choose a non-academic route. But we should recognise success when we see it.