Surely, if 25% passed the 11+ - then that meant that 75% of children, at the age of 11 years, were made to feel 'failures'. Horrific.!!!
My eldest child got a scholarship to one of the local minor public schools, he four younger sisters and younger brother all progressed through the local Comprehensive schools. All did equally well, all went on to good Universities and achieved good degrees.
Do wish that this country would seriously look at countries like Finland and Holland - all Scandinavia to see why so many more of their children do so much better educationally that ours do.
They start formal schooling later, do not have fee-paying schools, treat all children equally - and get so much better results.
Regressing to a past 'failed' system of education cannot be a good answer. Looking around and learning from those that have far better systems is what we should be doing.