I think the grammar school I was in, was a one size fits all sort of sausage machine. It was only intereted in the kids who went to univeristy and, mid 1960's that was about five kids a year. It could be a pretty brutal dump as well.

having said that I think there were better grammar schools. I think, my wife attended one where the head was intent on serving a largely working class population. I think the staff at my school looked down on us as peasants. the Latin teacher used to call us 'clots and hobbldehoys' - which I think just about summed the place up.

Schools and eduation was always going to have to change and start serving society more closely - making better use of what kids there were. Rather than aping the public schools.