Simon Cowell: Be useless at school

Simon Cowell has advised students to be  »useless » at school but to then  »get lucky ».

The TV mogul – who is said to be worth more than £200 million from his record labels and talent shows – said he didn’t apply himself in lessons as a youngster, but worked hard later, and admitted being in the right place at the right time can determine success.

He told US radio station Z100:  »I didn’t work hard when I was at school. I left at 16 and I didn’t have any qualifications.

 »I was useless. The secret is to be useless at school and then get lucky. »

The 54-year-old star made lots of mistakes when he first went into business – famously having to move back in with his parents when he went through a rough patch – but he is glad of his failures because he learned from them.

He added:  »You make a ton of mistakes in the beginning and just hope you learn from them. »

However, Simon has been slammed by education campaigners for his  »dangerous » advice to school pupils.

British politician Michael Pavey says education is  »vitally important » and thinks ‘The X Factor’ boss – whose girlfriend Lauren Silverman is due to give birth to their first child in February – is setting a bad example.

He said:  »I think Simon Cowell has been lucky. It’s one-in-a-billion that gets a chance like that.

 »The rest of us need to work hard with our teachers. Anything that de-motivates young people from making the best of themselves is unfortunate. »