In defence of the grammar schools
July 4th, 1969
A letter to the Reading Chronicle which was published on 4th July 1969.
In attacking my defence of the grammar schools’ role in the past, Mr Mander deceives himself and your readers if he imagines that many of the more vocal opponents of the eleven-plus examination are solely concerned with the quality of secondary education. Many of the remarks made can be construed to mean oppostion to any examinations in education, and by extension, opposition to any objective assessment of ability.
Thus, if Mr Mander re-reads my letter he will see that I was, in fact, criticising remarks made by Mr Lee MP, when, referring to competitive examinations, he made it quite clear that he was opposed to the fostering of academic excellent on the grounds that it would lead to a new class system based on intelligence.
Now, in fact, discussions about all levels of education have been bedevilled by a snivelling complaint about the advantages supposedly unfairly gained by the middle class from this or that system of education. One rather gathers that when educational resources are limited it is better that none benefit if otherwise some will benefit and some will not.
In fact if Mr Mander really is concerned about the full development of every child, he should recognise that resources will of necessity be deployed unevenly; the rarer talents will demand rarer, and therefore more expensive, resources for fulfilment and maturity. This applies not only to academic ability, but to artistic, musical and athletic ability as well.
This will only bother people like Mr Lee who by ceaseless harping about class and equality foster an envious society more concerned to divide up existing wealth than to create new wealth. The same carping criticism of the spirit of competition is apparent in much allegedly informed commentary on education. In my view it is a serious educational and sociological point that the competitive spirit in this country has been seriously undermined by the continual jealous bickering about equality, as the view from North America or any Continental country will confirm.