The brain has evolved to educate and to be educated, often instinctively and effortlessly. The brain is the machine that allows all forms of learning to take place--from baby squirrels learning how to crack nuts, birds learning to fly, children learning to ride a bike and memorising times-tables to adults learning a new language or mastering how to program a video recorder. Of course, the brain is also a natural mechanism that places limits on learning. It determines what can be learned, how much and how fast. This article discusses the ways in which knowledge of how the brain learns will impact education by 2020. It is divided into the following sections: Why is the brain important when we plan for future education?; How will progress be made?; What progress can we expect?; Plasticity; Individualised teaching; Disorders; Understanding the process of teaching; Social emotional development; and Limits.