I'm not advocating grammar schools per se, only saying that the excellent standard of education I was lucky enough to be able to access in mine should be available to all.

In my day, the very new Comprehensive nearby (one of the first in our area) was 'not bad' but there was still, as you say Steve, the concept of 'failures' applied to its pupils, in the same way that the Secondary Modern in our area was looked upon. Some students were transferred to our grammar school from the other two, if it was felt they'd been wrongly selected as 'failures'. But mostly we were, I'm sure, regarded as academically elite, which is quite wrong.

Our local secondary Comprehensive here in Norfolk is now an 'Academy', and from what I can gather is absolutely excellent. Its intake is unselected, courses are fluidly accessible and all abilities catered for. I don't know the proportion of University places taken up, but there is a sixth-form college attached to the school, all beautifully equipped, and the whole establishment is well-managed by the Headmaster.
If all secondary education could be like this (which I bet it's not in other places, from what one sees and hears, sadly) I would feel things were pretty fair and equal. But it could never compete with the Eton/Oxbridge wealthy upper class lot, who end up in top positions, and effectively comprise 'The Ruling Class'. It's a social matter as well as an educational one.