David Hanson’s letter, referring to pupils who failed the 11-plus, reminded me of when I took the test more than 50 years ago. Our headmaster refused to allow the words “pass” and “fail” to be used and would speak sternly to anyone who did so. His line was that pupils were either selected for a grammar school or not, but everyone would go on to secondary education.
David Backhouse, Chairman of the governing body, Mayfield School, Redbridge.