Stansgran - that was such a good post, thank you.
Dad passed the 11 plus, parents couldn't afford the uniform, he went to work in a local mill, like all his pals. He went to night school until joining the marines (sorry dad, royal marines) at 19. He continued night school and joined the police in 1949 after I was born, in order to provide his wife and child with stability. He continued to study and retired at a high rank. His example was mirrored throughout the family. Mum had a place at art school, you guessed it, the mill. She did A level English and Art in her 40's, when middle daughter was doing A levels. Mum went to the local tech and I joined her, having left school at 15 due to 3 moves during high school. I later did various professional qualifications, finally qualifying properly at 29. My grandparents had left school at 11 or 12 and recognised education as a way out of the grind. We were all encouraged to do our best at school, "so you'll never go down'tpit, or into t'mill". We didn't I'm relieved to say [ smile]