The assumption that education leads to a higher standard of living is a key to motivating academic success among Bangladeshi pupils. For 20 years, their attainment lagged behind the national average, but last year, 58.4 per cent of Bangladeshi pupils gained five GCSEs at grades A*-C. Kerrie Proulx, of Warwick University, attributes this to high parental motivation, as well as to pupils’ belief that education will enable them to have better lives than their parents.