I think you are being a bit unfair, jangly. Talk to any 'educationist' (is that a word) and they'll tell you that what makes more difference than anything else in a child's education success is parental attitude. If parents are well educated themselves or if they are not very well educated (depending on your definition; maybe it should be "open-minded about education") but are positive about the benefits of education and always encourage their kids to work hard at school and don't denigrate education — you see where I'm going? — then children will do well. Too many parents don't see the point of academic success, or they don't feel confident about helping their kids, or they just have the telly on all day long so nobody gets a chance to sit down quietly and read a book .....
Parental attitude makes all the difference! So kids from deprived backgrounds, where education is perhaps not held in such high esteem, or where it is held in high esteem but opportunities to further it are not common, are at a disadvantage.
People used to blether on about how well a certain comprehensive school in north Oxford had such good results "for a state school". Of course it bloody did! Half the kids had parents with jobs at the university. If those kids couldn't do well, who could?
In short, home background makes a HUGE difference.
