ALL parents want their children to do well whether it’s in their A levels or GCSEs or other exams in primary school.

There is no doubt that hard work brings its rewards and I never cease to be amazed by the remarkable young people who achieve such high results in their A levels. This feeling will probably be replicated tomorrow when the GCSE results are published.

However, even believing in the hard work ethos and acknowledging that a good education can lead to many more opportunities in life than a poor one, I still feel vaguely uncomfortable about the Channel 4 programme Child Genius.

This pits extremely bright youngsters against each other in a variety of very testing questions that most adults would struggle over. The children generally seem comfortable answering the questions – although one 11-year-old actually ran off the stage in tears during the semi-final after getting wrong answers.

The parents in the audience, meanwhile, are highly emotional. They are willing the children to succeed so hard that some can’t help mouthing the answers. Inevitably, this has led to allegations of cheating.

What is worrying about this programme is that it once more exemplifies the idea that parents are trying to achieve through their children. No-one blames a parent for wanting the best in life for their child or for him or her to do well, but where does encouragement stop and pushing begin?

You can see the same emotions on the touchline of amateur junior football matches any weekend around Bolton. While the majority of parents go for gentle encouragement and praise there is always a hard core of adults shouting on their children with unsuitable “instructions” and an excess of strong words. The idea of praise for trying, even if they don’t succeed, doesn’t appear to come into it.

Interestingly, a survey of 142 British mothers showed that just 10 per cent rated intelligence as the most important personality trait in their child. Most rated being sociable as a much more highly prized element, and I totally agree with this.

Being able to get on well with other people can lead not only to far greater enjoyment in life but may also lead to far greater overall success. Exam qualifications are very important but they should never be achieved without those basic personality traits that allow us to work with others, make friends and live life.