Do you mean grammar schools or private schools? Grammar schools are state selective schools. They are definitely not a tax on the wealthy. Quite the opposite as poor students make up significantly less % of pupils at grammar schools than they do at standard state schools. It ends up being an effective tax break for the wealthy as it means they don't need to send their children to private schools.

There are some on the Right who obviously have less affinity with the poor than others. And there are some whose policy stances are worse for the poor than others.

Where policies are obviously damaging to the poor then it isn't surprising that if imposed by an apparently rich individual the claim that they don't understand the plight of the ordinary man sticks.

Edited by OknotOK (11 Oct 2016 3.07pm)

"It's almost like a moral decision. Except not really cos noone is going to find out," Jez, Peep Show

Agree with what you're saying, the only caveat is that there is selection within schools at the moment, with the brightest kids being put in top sets and therefore working alongside each other.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Is an average of only 3% of kids in grammars on free school meals a socialist generalisation or does it show that people from the poorer parts of society have less opportunity.

And why are standards so poor in many state schools?

Money has had nothing to do with my kids education and I dare say may others. It's about attitude. Only a desire to better ones self or want ones children to do better than you will have the right effect.

Because successive governments have failed to invest sufficiently in education for decades. It might also have something to do with stupid left wing ideas about how children should be taught.

How ever high standards were there would still be a bottom and a top and lots of people moaning.