thing is sometimes they were

I was a Grammar oik in the 90s in Gloucester and we had a very socially diverse intake. Lots of free school meals, the school bus picked as many kids up from the inner city areas as it did from the middle class estates. One chap from an arse end council estate who'd have probably otherwise ended up a local garage mechanic like his dad is now a top F1 engineer.

Mind you, back then we didn't have parents who spent a fortune on tutors to pass the 11+. Most of us didn't even know what the 11+ was when we were taking it. So it was probably the closest to being a socially-blind selection system as it could be.

So I suspect things may well have changed from 'back in my day' and I am prepared to be swayed by the evidence of the 'now' on this subject.

Posted By: CWC, Mar 30, 15:52:21