Education standards have declined so much that some teenagers believe
Winston Churchill was a talking dog, outspoken former teacher Katharine Birbalsingh has said.
Katharine Birbalsingh also claimed others struggle to understand the difference between France and Paris.
Miss Birbalsingh claimed the public did not realise how little general knowledge children have today.
The former deputy head blamed the decline on a lack of self discipline and a focus on âsoftâ skills in the past 30 years.
âTeaching historical facts or lists of vocab which rely on memory skills is considered old-fashioned,â she said.
âInstead, we think it better to inspire children to be creative through group discussion and project work.
‘But background knowledge is absolutely essential to enable children to absorb new ideas.â
Miss Birbalsingh made the comments during the Sir John Cassâs Foundation Lecture in London.
She grabbed the headlines last year at the 2010 Conservative Party conference with a damning speech on the state of Englandâs schools.
Miss Birbalsingh is trying to start a free school in Lambeth, south London.