Education has betrayed its promises to deliver upward social mobility and a brighter future.

Young people study harder but learn less, running up a down-escalator of devalued qualifications to become overqualified but underemployed, unable to move forward with their lives.

From primary to post-graduate schools – funny phonics through endless testing to phoney apprenticeships and the world's most costly university fees – Patrick Ainley explains how English education is now driven by the economy and politics, 'dumbing down' rather than 'wising up'.

Addressed to teachers and students at all levels of learning, it concludes by suggesting how schools, colleges and universities can begin to contribute towards a more meaningful and productive society.