I wasn't aware of 'class' or how it could be an issue until I went to grammar school in 1979. It was an eye-opener and it made the next 5 years of my life quite difficult at times.

red max wrote: Surely "working class" is just the more polite replacement for "lower class"?

I agree with this. I'm not sure when the phrase 'working class' first came to popular usage, but I'd be interested in how and when (why?).

What makes me middle class? Is it about money?

Money can be a factor but it's certainly not the 'decider'. Think of attitudes towards the 'nouveau riche': - often money isn't enough in itself.

Bernard wrote: The Local Authority 'Music Advisor' at the time believed that there was no point in providing loan instruments for children from poorer families because they could not afford to buy an instrument if the child showed promise.

Something similar happened to me. At my grammar school, I was told that there was no use taking music as an option because I couldn't afford to own an instrument; the school simply didn't provide instruments even on a loan basis. It wasn't an issue for the vast majority of students, but for a few like me it was a 'make or break' situation. I've just read Marje's follow-on comment and that certainly reflects my own experience, albeit mine was a long time ago now.