For generations, success in secondary education has been measured in a narrow way: grades, exam scores and rankings. These metrics are tidy, comparable and familiar. But they are also incomplete and tell only part of the story. Today's world values skills such as teamwork, flexibility and emotional intelligence, and our definition of success, as a community, needs to reflect that reality.

This is not an argument against academic standards. Knowledge, rigour and credentials matter. But when grades become the only measure of success, we risk confusing performance under pressure with preparedness for life. Too many capable young people leave school believing they have failed, not because they lack ability or motivation, but because their strengths do not align neatly with high-stakes standardised testing or traditional classroom structures.

What predicts long-term success is not just academic attainment, but a broader set of capabilities of durable life skills: resilience in the face of challenge, independence in managing time and tasks, the ability to work productively with others, building and maintaining relationships, regulating emotions under stress, and the ability to give and receive feedback constructively. In today’s workplace, these skills are not “nice to have“, they are essential.

Employers consistently point to teamwork, communication and adaptability as among the most sought-after attributes in new hires. Very few jobs are done in isolation. Most require collaboration across personalities, perspectives and pressure points. These skills do not develop by accident. They must be practised, reflected on and reinforced ideally during adolescence, when young people are forming habits that will follow them into adulthood.

Resilience, for example, is deeply connected to emotional regulation and feedback. Students who learn how to manage frustration, respond to setbacks and incorporate constructive criticism are far better equipped to handle the realities of further study, training programmes and employment. In contrast, environments that reward only correct answers and penalise mistakes can produce students who are technically capable but emotionally fragile and risk-averse.

Independence, too, is not just about working alone. It is about knowing when and how to seek support, advocate for oneself, and contribute meaningfully within a group. These are workplace skills. Learning to negotiate roles in a team, resolve conflict respectfully and communicate needs clearly prepares students for professional settings far more effectively than memorising content for a test.

At BCCL, we believe that redefining success does not mean lowering expectations; it means broadening them. Our BCCL-CMASAS Secondary Programme prioritises growth alongside achievement, emotional awareness alongside academic performance, and readiness alongside results. We ask broader questions of education: not only “What grades did students earn?” but “Can they work with others? Can they handle feedback? Can they manage themselves and their responsibilities? Are they prepared for what comes next?”

Exams are efficient. Human development is not. But if secondary education is meant to prepare young people for adulthood, our measures of success must reflect the lives they will lead. When essential life skills are treated as central, rather than peripheral to that mission, students leave with more than credentials. They leave with confidence, self-awareness and the ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities.

It is time to redefine success in secondary education, not by abandoning academic achievement, but by placing it within a fuller, more human framework. When we do, we send a powerful message to young people and employers alike: achievement matters, but so does who you are, how you work with others, and the readiness needed to thrive beyond the classroom.

• Lindsey Sirju is the cofounder and deputy head of school at Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning