I went to grammar school as well mate and my experience was similar, but it never felt quite right, as we were getting a far better education than the kids I knew who ended up at the Comps.That's not how it's supposed to work though. I went to a grammer school, & most of my schoolmates were from pretty ordinary backgrounds. And I'm not sure private tuition would have helped anyone whose parents could afford to pay for it - the 11+ was designed to measure IQ, not knowledge.
I'm ambivalent abour grammer schools - but it's worth noting that there was far greater social mobility when they existed than there is now. Harold Wilson, for instance, was a grammer school boy, as was Ted Heath. Better imo than being ruled over by a bunch of public schoolboys. (I haven't mentioned a pair of bloody difficult women who both went to grammer schools because I'm not sure what they would do to my argument).

