RE: ‘LETTER was poppycock’ of November 2 from Jane Le Coyte; apart from the predictable initial sarcasm, Jane seeks evidence that some of the offspring of teachers and heads ended up in grammar schools without having passed the 11 plus.

Although only 10 years old then I certainly do recall reading about it in the local newspaper, as well as hearing miners discussing it.

There were documented cases too of a head teacher who invigilated one 11 plus exam and, through judicious cheating, let several of her class favourites off the fate of becoming muck-shovellers (quoted in The Rise and Fall of the Working Class by Selena Todd). And if one head teacher cheats...

As for your statement that it was “the working class children who were most likely to fail”, this too is taken from Todd’s history.

Again “as for your outrageous statement that the teachers did not encourage the working class pupils to stay on into the sixth form, where on earth did you get that nonsense?”

I got this “nonsense” again from Todd’s highly acclaimed history book and other sources.

Obviously there were exceptions. The general presumption was that working-class children were not fitted for advanced study.

Less than 10 per cent of manual workers’ children won a grammar school place, while more than 50 per cent of the children of professionals and business owners did.

In between riding the tide of nostalgic school memories, Mrs Le Coyte conveniently ignores the bigger picture of grammars instead quoting anecdotal ‘evidence’ of having a jolly good time and how well her chums did.

She accuses me of lack of research into grammar schools and yet she has the gall to quote just one grammar school and holds it up as a typical nationwide example. What brilliant research skills she gained from her time there!

JEFF ADAMS Bloomsbury, Swindon