WHAT a strange response from Steven Walker, who obviously didn’t read my letter closely.

My opinion is based on my own experience, and both my children’s experience over 20 years later.

He misses the most important part - all the coaching and private schooling in the world cannot put intelligence where it isn’t naturally there.

When my children were at primary school, we couldn’t afford private school fees, I had friends who did send their children to private schools.

The ratio of 11 plus passes was slightly higher, but their onward success wasn’t.

A lad I knew actually had to leave the grammar, he wasn’t up to it after being pushed beyond his capabilities.

Maybe if you had read my letter fully you would see that I have first-hand experience of one child at local comprehensive and one at Colchester Grammar.

There is no comparison, they are totally different schools.

The brighter of our children deserve recognition and everyone has to realise we are all different - there is no-onesize-fits-all, like comprehensives were designed for.

The attitude then in the Nineties of the parents at comprehensives was pretty awful. I can remember a meeting regarding blazers where a few loudmouths were very rude to teachers. It was a totally different culture. Pupils used awful language in front of teachers to be sent out of class.

They didn’t want to learn.

It’s wrong that the brighter of our students should be held back.

Yes, I am delighted there will be more places made available for the brighter child.

When I studied sociology, I interviewed teaching staff at a local comprehensive and they fully agreed it was uphill for the brighter than average child.

The comprehensive system was designed to help the average and below average and there’s nothing wrong in that.

It’s very sad that children are not given realistic advice that they will not succeed at everything, there will always be winners and losers.

To try and cushion children from failure has become politically correct but doesn’t prepare them for the real world.

I know I achieved a far better education at Colchester Girls High than I would have done at local comprehensive.

My daughter only succeeded despite her school not because of it. We had to encourage her every step of the way.

Going back to the Seventies there was an in between school for those not achieving quite such a high pass mark called the Gilberd. Now sadly another comprehensive. A child would be offered a place there if they didn’t quite achieve high enough pass rate for a grammar.

It will be a sad day when politicians of all parties send their children to posh private schools and the everyday person is left with just comprehensive.

Anne Johnson Wimborne Gardens, Frinton