From “Failure” to Finding My Superpowers: Why Inclusion Matters More Than Exams

Yep – that’s me, back row, third from the left.

1970 – a year before the 11+ exams divided us into “passers” and “failures.”
I thought I was bright. I thought I was clever. I still remember waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the postman to deliver my results. When the letter finally came, my life changed. I hadn’t “made it.”

From then on, things only got harder. At secondary modern I ended up in the remedial class. I scraped through a couple of GCSEs. I sat English four times and never passed. My careers advisor told me I should think about being a farm labourer – until I explained my asthma and hay fever probably wouldn’t make that a great fit.

The truth was, my challenge wasn’t laziness or lack of ambition. It was dyslexia.

Years later, with no academic qualifications to my name, I took some tests while applying for a director role at a fintech. The results confirmed what I’d always known – I struggled with reading and writing. But they also revealed something else: my superpowers.

Back then, nobody spoke about things like this. Nobody helped me see those strengths. And that’s why I share this story.

Because today, when we talk about Equity and Inclusion, it isn’t just about levelling the playing field (Equity). That’s vital – my son had incredible support for his own learning challenges, and he went on to graduate with a first from Sheffield. But it’s not the whole picture.

What really matters is Inclusion – helping people feel understood, encouraging them, and creating space for their talents to shine.

To those who didn’t get the results they hoped for this summer: you are so much more than a grade on a piece of paper. Your superpowers may not be obvious yet – but they’re there – waiting for you to find them. Inclusive workplaces will enable you to use them.

And to all of us: let’s remember that Inclusion is the great unlock.