It’s no coincidence our two female PMs were grammar school girls – they’re how bright kids prosper

It is no coincidence that the only female prime ministers United Kingdom has produced went to grammar school. From modest homes, Margaret Roberts and Theresa Brasier passed the Eleven Plus which admitted them to a place where no-one was bullied for being a “swot”.

They were taught by clever people who had attended good universities and would guide their pupils to the same destination. They mastered a body of knowledge, what the great educationalist Matthew Arnold defined as “the best that has been thought and said”. They were surrounded by other young people who were keen to make something of themselves. Most important of all, Margaret and Theresa imbibed the grammar-school ethos – which says that excellence matters and, if you work hard enough, no one can hold you back.

Both won a place at Oxford where they mixed with people so lucky they didn’t know what privilege was. We call this social…

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