REGARDING Cllr Joanne Platt’s letter in last week’s Journal, I suspect she did not attend a grammar school.

In my day there were three types of school – grammar for those who excelled academically, a technical school for those gifted in engineering and artisan skills and a secondary modern (forerunner of comprehensive/high schools), which catered for the equally valued students who went on to have a wide range of careers.

I admit the selection process was inadequate – and must be improved – but complaints about this seem to centre on late developers failing to get a grammar place.

If the other schools were so good, why would this matter?

I got a wonderful, rounded grammar school education and became a teacher – for 38 years – so I know the hell teachers often face as they battle to cater for all abilities, often in the same classroom.

Why would adding grammar schools threaten our education system? Would they not enhance it, giving the finest academic talent the opportunity to concentrate on in-depth studies?

Does Ms Platt object to Oxford and Cambridge universities? Doesn’t their selection system cater for the very best?

We need to harness and nourish the abilities of every child in the country, first recognising that there are different abilities.

The problem with politicians of Ms Platt’s persuasion is that everyone has to fit into the same mould.

Let us get our children into the right educational establishment to help them all do their very best.

Sadly, lumping them all together as at present has been far from successful.

Name and address supplied