Life begins at 22 - not at school, says survey

Britain has got talent - it just doesn't emerge until people are 22, says a report published today.

A survey of 2000 adults reveals they say they did not realise their true potential until years after they had left school.

On average, they cited 22 as the age they found their niche in life.

Nearly half of those surveyed felt they were regarded as average or poor students while they were at school.

Of those, 15 per cent said they never got the chance to discover their talent in the classroom because their teachers had written them off as failures.

The adults in the survey are not alone, says the report from Edge - an education foundation dedicated to improving the quality of vocational education.

Many celebrities and famous people - such as Alan Johnson, the UK's Home Secretary, comedian Paul Merton, actress Sarah Jessica Parker and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver - left school branded failures.

- INDEPENDENT