SO Theresa May and the Government want to create new grammar schools.

Have we not learned from the past? Grammar schools lead to an unfair and divisive society.

It’s a jungle out there and this is how the law of the jungle plays out.

Those who pass their 11-plus and go to grammar school are successes.

Those who don’t and go to the secondary modern are failures.

At the age of 11.

When you’re 12, wearing the uniform of the local secondary modern can be like having the sign of the plague daubed over your door.

You might think that’s an exaggeration but do not underestimate the impact the toxic effect the 11-plus has.

To not pass is a terrible stigma. How many bright and intelligent children in the past were scarred for life, their self-esteem destroyed by a single, all-or-nothing examination they sat before they reached puberty?

Do we really want to perpetuate a society that privileges a chosen few?

Despite Mrs May’s assurances the new grammar schools would provide places for the brightest children from poorer areas, you can’t get away from the fact selective education favours children from privileged backgrounds. Middle-class children are far more likely to go to grammar school because their parents can afford extra tuition outside the classroom to get them there.

Tony Blair introduced a ban on new grammar schools in the late 1990s. Theresa May wants to lift the ban, opening the door to more selective education. It would also enable free schools to begin selective admissions, something they’re not currently able to do.

I don’t doubt that children who attend grammar schools receive superb schooling befitting their abilities.

My issue is the unfairness of it.

We should offer a gold-standard education to all. Everyone should receive the best start in life.

I am not opposed to Mrs May’s desire for a meritocracy. Hard work and talent should be nurtured and rewarded. I just don’t believe 11 is the age to start making such stark judgements.

I think within a Rolls Royce education system there needs to be streaming according to ability. Nobody wants talented children to be held back.

But neither do we want those in need of educational support left behind.

In my view, it comes down to finding the right path for each child.

whether it’s an academic route or a more vocational one.

A truly comprehensive education system comes at a price. It means using money to bring down class sizes and inspiring more people into teaching.

As it is we have droves of demoralised teachers quitting the profession. If they haven’t already handed their notice in, I’m sure Mrs May’s announcement will hasten their decision.