Few things are more political than education. Meritocracy is impossible without an education system that enables talented young people to succeed, regardless of their social background. Little wonder Tony Blair declared, just before his landslide 1997 election victory, that his three main priorities for government were ‘education, education, and education’. The public still care deeply about education, with respondents to an Ipsos Mori poll in April 2015 placing it third on their list of voting priorities (behind the NHS and the economy).
The question of social mobility is central to any debate about education. Universal free secondary education dates back to 1946, when the tripartite system was introduced. Pupils took the 11-plus exam in their final year of primary school and, on the basis of their results, the top 20–25% were sent to a grammar school, the rest to a secondary modern or, rarely, a technical college. This system was criticised for labelling the majority of children as having ‘failed’ at a young age and then condemning them to a second-rate education, and for favouring middle-class children who were better prepared for the 11-plus.
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