It's time to bring back the grammar school

Many people believe that one way of increasing social mobility would be to bring back the sysetm of grammar schools.

Former cabinet minister Alan Milburn's report on social mobility raises the issue of educational privilege which, until now, the government has "largely fought shy of", says Gaby Hinsliff in The Observer. The facts are stark. Privately educated children are four times more likely than state-school pupils to get straight As at A-level.

Nearly 50% of Oxbridge students come from the 7% of the population that are privately educated, as do nearly 75% of judges, a third of FTSE 100 CEOs and a third of MPs. Education isn't the only factor: a bright baby from a poor background is less likely to have ambitious parents or be raised in a stimulating environment, and his or her parents are less likely to have contacts that will ease the child's path into a good job.

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