I totally agree with Charles, London. Why should the abilities of one child, be slapped down, due to the inabilities of another? I am currently preparing my son for his 11+ examination next September, despite the fact that he attends the best state primary school in the country. Why? Because it is up to the parents to ensure their children are educated to the best of their abilities. My children attend a phenomenal primary school, where respect and the expectation to perform to the best of one's ability is standard, rather than the exception. But it is also due, in no small way, to the expectation of the parents.

You can build as many grammar schools as you please, in as many under privileged areas as you like. You can lead a horse to water, but you certainly cannot make it drink. Change the perception and attitude of the parents in those areas and you may stand a chance.

Anneliese Gordon, Altrincham, Cheshire

Selection for grammar school on the basis of one examination at 11 years of age is totally wrong. I was always in the top 6 out of a class of 45 at primary school and was regarded as grammar school material. Yet when it came to the 'eleven-plus' exam, I was a 'border-line' and was subsequently sent to a secondary-
modern school where the Headmaster would not enter any pupils for 'O' Level . I regarded myself a total failure and it wasn't until 20
years later, having successfully become a Registered Mental Nurse and 1 year later being promoted to Charge Nurse, that my self-esteem and belief in myself was somewhat restored.

Robin Attwood, Sandown, Isle of Wight

"Only 12 per cent of the sector, provided above-average progress."

- The suggestion then being that Grammar schools ought to be done away with? Or that we ought to create more/better develop these institutions so as to move beyond the 12% mark? With terminology such as “ghettos of the advantaged” it is clear the author of the study takes the former position. Such fallacious reasoning calls into doubt both the intellectual honestly and sanity of the man. Children ought not be used as pawns in the political playground.

Adam, London, UK

I passed the 11+ in 1947 aged 10yrs and 3 months from local council primary school, never had any extra tuition, never even had any idea the test was coming!
My son and daughter both went to our local grammar neither had any special tutoring [ except music]. It was the excellence of the local council primaries that counted. You need to start early and encourage a child to be well read , articulate and curious. A good parent, treats children as an equal!

DAVID VINTER, Louth, Lincs. , UK.

Selective education is the best way to educate children as of course children do have different abilities and dumbing down education and trying to standardise education is just not honest. In Europe where educational standards far outstrip those here they still have two levels of education the Gymnasium for bright students and technical schools for lesser able. Let's stop being so hypocritical about education. Everyone wants what is best for their children which is why so many Labour Ministers educate their children privately and Tony Blair chose to send his children to a selective school!

Fiona, Radlet, England

My daughter myself ,my husband and my daughters tutor worked hard to make sure my daughter got a place in the only local girls grammer school in our area. You know what she is not struggling to keep up her grades. She admits that some of the kids in her class had recieved better primary education than she did but that has not hindered her. She loves the school so much. She has grown in confidence and in ability. I have ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS putting her through the rigors of the preparation. I am right now doing the same for my son. Can i add that the exam preparation did a lot to prepare my daughter for the secondary school she is currently in. And finally I WONDER if a child that cannot learn to deal with the pressure of exams today how would they cope in tommorows compettitive & pressurissed world? Don't worry about us parents. we know what we are doing. ALL i have spent on tuition and books (i have the 11+ materials out there anyway) is nothing compared to a yr fees in private schoo

Grace O, Essex, UK

You diabolise the private education instead of asking the right question : why is our public education level the lowest in Europe ?
I am a parent actually trying to transfer a child from a public to a private school because they get better results. The quality of the teaching and the motivation of the students make this possible.
My child will soon take a serious exam to get in, money are not enough to buy a place. In order to pay for this schoold we need to make considerable financial effort. We are no milionnaires, but we have made the choice of investing in our children's education,and all my salary goes in school fees. One should have the righ to make free choices.
Private schools do not attract only wealthy parents, but those who want to build a good future for their children. Also, when they start working, these students will contribute more to the national budget.
Maybe one should explain why so many public schools need to live on a survival budget.

Alexandra Lia, Leicester, UK

i am also currently studying for my last year at a grammer school, taking my a levels. it is very common that many people who attend grammer schools have had some sort of tuition for the entrance exams. However, i was offered a place at this grammer school at the beginning of sixth form from excelling in my gsce's in comparison to the average at my previous conprehensive, therefore not evreyone has tuition to enter grammer schools and also there are many studnets in normal comprehensive's who are on the same level of intelligence as grammer school studnets or even higher, as a few were at my old school.

if families from a low-income background want their children to have a good education then they should have every right in doing that, however it would be a good idea to make the entrance exams harder as otherwise it would be too easy to get in.

if people from normal comprehensive schools feel disadvantaged then they should start having better and adequate teaching methods.

shummi, bham,

If the data on comprehensive schools were to be analyed I'm sure it would show that children there from families with higher incomes tend to achieve higher grades at GCSE than those from disadvantaged backgrounds. If it wasn't the case schools in poor areas such as Harlesden would get results no different from schools in prosperous area such as Amersham.

Do we need a researcher to tell us that middle class families are better able to provide the environment to get children through an exam at 11, or 16 or 18 for that matter? What is needed is more grammar schools in inner city areas to give more opportunity for working class children to get on.

trevor evans, London,

Quality report from David Jesson though. What next? Bears in woods? I'd like to know what his point is. Rich kids are cleverer? His point is what? We know that.

Overlooking for the moment that if they do no better according some Marxist publicity stunt, that there's no reason to close them down is there, of course the majority of schoolkids in grammars are middle class.

This isn't the point of grammars. The point of grammars is to ensure that 2% of our kids aren't held up in their integral calculus class, because 2% of the kids can't yet spell integral calculus.

The country is fed by the top 2% of adults. Everyone else lives of their redistributed wealth. If we cripple the long term abilities of the top 2%, then yes most get a bigger share of the cake, but the cake is much smaller, because the top 2% are fighting the rest of the world for the cake.

Charles, London,

If the labour councilss didnt get rid of the grammar schools they would see plenty more lowe class in grammars. The truth is that mostly only the conservative councils kept grammars and as they are usually situated in wealthy areas- the students are mostly from wealthy backgrounds.

Go to Medway, Kent (Labour) and look at the make-up of the students in the grammars- there are plenty of lower-class students there...

ps Grammar schools teach PROPER manners. Do many state schools teach pupils to address teachers as Sir/Miss and to stand when adults enter the room, at the drop of a hat?

London student, London, UK

Why do so many people to see only half the picture as far as Grammar Schools and ‘privilege’ are concerned?

True, most of today's Grammar Schools are in good areas where their clientele comes from professional or managerial backgrounds. Given the dearth of children on free school meals, we can also assume that many of the pupils come from relatively comfortable backgrounds. In that sense, they are not necessarily serving the poor.

But, once upon a time, there were Grammar Schools for poor children even in the most deprived areas.

Sadly, these were precisely the Grammar Schools that were shut down by politicians who, having benefited from such an education themselves, then introduced comprehensive education.

Grammar schools in deprived areas educated poor children who, in many cases, were the first of their family to climb the ladder to University; they learnt modern foreign languages, worlds away from their everyday experience; they could study 3 sciences at A Level.

Rowland Constantine, Sevenoaks, Kent

If private school and grammar school are that good, why do so many of the parents feet the need to supplement their children teaching with private tuition? My daughter used to go to a private school with over 70% of her classmate receiving extra private tuition and at the end of junior school over a quarter of them ( all with private coaching for grammar school's 11+ exam) left and joined grammar schools. I find this private tuition situation rather ridiculous and since I do not think that it is healthy for her to be in a class with a high percentage of students receiving extra private tuition; I decided against grammar schools and put her in a local state comprehensive instead. Thank goodness, she is very happy and doing extremely well too.

Theresa P , Rickmanworth,

Whatever has happened to spelling in grammar schools!
Received. Friendly. Privileged. !

Joanna F, York,

My grammar school is the second best state school in London. Barely anyone recieves EMA in the 6th form (around 15 out of 250 students). Of my 3 best friends, 2 would have gone to private schools if they had not got into ours, and all recieve extra tutoring outside school. This is common throughout the whole school. I agree with Katherine that the quality of teaching can be quite bad, as the teachers rely on the self-motivation of the students. However, grammar schools tend to have very frendly and open atmospheres, which is as good a teaching tool as any.
I think schools should be able to take into account if students would go to primary schools if they do not get into the grammars, as they will get a good education regardless, unlike the poorer students who cannot afford the extra tutorage to get in.

Mel, london,

Surely the fact that parents feel the need to provide private tutors or schooling to ensure admission to a grammar school is good evidence that the primary education provided by the state is inadequate?

As for providing no better than average progress, at least grammar schools are no worse than average, which is far too common a risk with comprehensives. The sooner we have a full voucher system and privatised education (which even that bastion of statism, Sweden, provides), the better. Until then, I shall scrimp and save to ensure my children can have a good education. Teaching at a leading university, the education provided by state schools is not only inadequate, the standards have decline markedly over the past five years.

John Scott, London,

I am currently in my last year of compulsary education at a grammar school and I have to agree that the majority of my peers attended private primary schools or had tutors to get them in. There are 0 pupils on free school meals at my school. It is one of the best grammar schools in the country (well THE best) but it is not the teacher that is exceptional, it is the students. I moved there at the begining of year 10 and the standard of teaching at my previous school was so much better, it was just the students' motivation, attitude and behaviour that was improved. I would reccomend selective education though, but make it harder to get in as too many 'privilaged' students get in already. Also, a point to consider is that many private schools offer scholarships to students who cannot afford the fees.

Katherine H, chelmsford, essex