David Cameron: Why wait if changes mean pupils better prepared for world?

Most teachers recognise the need to make changes in Scottish education and have supported the principles of a Curriculum for Excellence. They know that we are preparing young people for a rapidly-changing world where the ability to learn and to adapt will be the most important quality that they can have.

If this is the case, change should come at a pace that matches children's needs. It should not be solely dictated by teachers' perception of their readiness to cope. None of us has the power to delay the pace of technological, economic or social change, so we should not delay coming to terms with it.

This is not only in the best interests of children; it is in all our best interests. We need to be competitive as a country and that requires a modern education system encouraging enterprise, innovation and creativity.

Many of our teachers realise this and provide challenging and stimulating classroom experiences. Scotland's schools are full of excellent practice. We have invested heavily in a highly professional teaching workforce that is well qualified and, compared to other public-sector workers, well rewarded.

We have also invested in our school estate and have many examples of outstanding buildings well adapted to the needs of 21st-century learning.

Many of these professionals have been frustrated by a crowded curriculum and assessments that do not test all of the skills that they worked so hard on. Many have involved themselves in a range of wider activities from sport to debating and recognised that these experiences offered some of the best learning experiences that young people had. This is recognised by the commitment of Curriculum for Excellence to build confidence and to recognise wider achievement.

Curriculum for Excellence brings new qualifications and a commitment to make sure that assessments leading to qualifications actually test all the abilities that we claim to develop. However, the main change that Curriculum for Excellence brings is in ensuring that the good practice described here is available to more of our young people. Why would anyone want to delay that?

The whole educational system should not have to wait until all teachers are capable of demonstrating this sort of practice, before we set it as our benchmark of acceptability. We need to aim high and have ambition if we are going to make significant improvements in education.

The argument that subject- based learning and teaching is somehow inimical to the aspirations of Curriculum for Excellence is wrong. The best subject teachers have always been those who made their lessons relevant to pupils.

They bring lessons to life by making connections. They understand the social dimensions of science. They make clear the connections of history to the contemporary world. They bring the world into their classroom and use it to make children think. They encourage independent learning and reward the student who takes control of their own learning and makes imaginative leaps. They encourage constantly and do all they can to build confidence in learners.

These are the fundamental demands of a Curriculum for Excellence and some of the best illustrations of these being met are in secondary classrooms where traditional subjects are being taught. All children should be entitled to the best possible education that their society can offer; we should not be considering a delay in meeting that.

David Cameron is a former Association of Directors of Education president and former Stirling Council education director