Some children are naturally bright, while others take longer to learn, but getting there in the end is what counts.

Having a level platform for all youngsters to achieve is seen as an ideal, as is creating an examination system where every child can realise their potential.

Last year, Bradford ranked 144 out of 151 local authorities for its GCSE results, with fewer than half of pupils achieving the Government's benchmark of at least five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

In a city where 43 per cent of pupils are speaking English as a second language, any reform of the GCSE system, as recently talked about, has to be a system of inclusion for all.

The announcement has sparked a lively debate. Prime Minister David Cameron foresees the new exams as being about rigour and high standards, recently telling the Commons it was time to end the progressive dumbing-down of GCSEs which had seen Britain slip down the international league tables for educational standards.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron said: “What the Education Secretary (Michael Gove) explained in great detail is that what we want to have is an absolute gold standard of exams in our country that are about rigour and high standards.

“The tragedy is that what we inherited from the last Government was a system that was being progressively dumbed down, where Britain was falling down the league tables and GCSE questions included things like: ‘How do you see the moon? Is it through a telescope or a microscope?’ “We think we need a rigorous system and that is what we are going to put in place.”

But Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services, says he believes reforming GCSEs would have a “de-stabilising” effect.

Coun Berry says there needs to be a unified examination system as far as possible and refers to the Scottish exam system as a model that England could follow.

He says any reform would also have to deal with examination board inconsistencies. “We need a well-supported framework, an examination like Scotland, a stable and secure system which has had solid support for many years,” he said.

Retired teacher Lorraine Brown, from Keighley, who spent 37 years teaching at schools including Belle View Boys and Ryan Middle in Bradford, says not every child can achieve Grades A to C at GCSE.

“And the more problems they have in their home background and language problems, not that they are not bright, means they have additional problems and cannot reach the level that employers want them to reach,” she said.

With fewer jobs available for those coming out of education, Lorraine says they have to be able to compete.

Lorraine says unless the Government is proposing to bring back separate grammar schools and secondary schools they should leave the system as it is and, most importantly, listen to the teachers before making any decisions.

“The teachers are on the chalk face. They are in the classroom and they are up against it every day of the week. It’s alright somebody sitting in an office in Whitehall saying this is what we want. They have to listen to the teachers who are putting in place the proposals,” she said.

“Before they do anything, they should listen to teachers who are there and know what the problems are.”

David Stokes, from Ilkley, taught for 34 years before retiring. He spent 20 years teaching English and drama at Bradford Grammar School.

“I am a bit concerned about the idea that we have to go back to something that happened in the past. I would rather see education moving forward than going back all the time,” he says.

“We want to see something for the future of education, for the future of Britain’s children.

“I don’t think anyone in the teaching profession wants to go back to the two-tier examinations, O levels and CSEs. It has to be brought under the same umbrella.

“There needs to be a structure that provides tests for all pupils, for all abilities. That may be complex, but I think it has to be retained as the present GCSEs.”

But Frank Robinson, who taught for 30 years at schools including Eccleshill Secondary and Fairfax School, says: “We should never be making it easier. We should always be fighting for higher standards and if that is the case, that is commendable.”