Simon Jenkins has yet again highlighted a fundamental issue of disparity between conflicting views of freedom, this time in educational provision (Schools should bond communities: faith schools divide them. Why are ministers making that worse?, 2 May). The secondary school I attended in the 1960s had a high proportion of Jewish children, which gave me the privilege of insight into cultural and religious differences in a context of shared learning and friendship. I worry that the growth of separate provision will deny that opportunity in future.
There is one matter on which Simon will no doubt be happy to be corrected. Selection at 11-plus has not ended. England still has 163 grammar schools, concentrated in areas such Kent, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire and parts of London and the north-west. This reflects local decisions not necessarily linked to party politics – Conservative areas such as Hampshire abolished selection in the 1970s and 80s and went on to establish successful schools and sixth-form colleges, a move popular with parents wanting their children educated locally.
