Anne Johnson's letter congratulating the current government for aiming to create more grammar schools (relies on her own experience of attending one in 1971.

Much has changed since she believed working class children stood a chance of passing the 11-plus if they were bright enough. That doesn’t work these days.

The local grammar schools are packed with children who have attended expensive private primary schools and have been groomed for the 11-plus exam by costly private tutors.

They draw high quality teachers away from other schools further disadvantaging students.

Poorer children don’t stand a chance however bright they are.

According to the Crowther report in the late Fifties, a staggering 38 per cent of grammar school pupils failed to achieve more than three passes at O-level.

It was for such reasons the movement for comprehensive reform, building through the Fifties, achieved such success in the Sixties and Seventies.

Few trusted the basis of the 11-plus itself, many parents felt rawly the rejection of their children who were perceived as failures, and Tory and Labour local authorities alike recognised instead the wisdom of building good schools for all and getting rid of grammar schools.

Comprehensive schools are fairer and have succeeded in increasing the numbers achieving five O-levels (now GCSEs) from 23 per cent in 1976 to 81 per cent in 2008.

Durham University recently published research it conducted using the National Pupil Database to demonstrate the comparatively impressive GCSE results of grammar schools are a result of the pupils they admit, who have higher prior attainment and disproportionately come from more advantaged backgrounds.

Far from being bastions of social mobility, the average grammar school has fewer than 3 per cent of its pupils on free school meals, compared to an average of 14 per cent across the state sector.

By the way, I went to a grammar school in 1965 and I am passionately against this government creating any more.

Steven Walker

Sunny Point, Walton