Actually I think the argument for state sponsored schools for the exceptionally gifted has its pros and cons, but essentially, if it is to work, then children should be selected on the basis of their natural ability rather than their ability to pay.
The idea of selecting children on the basis of an examination at the age of 11 and then segregating the 'intelligent' from the 'less intelligent' is a very poor one. Children develop at various stages. Far better to have streaming within the same school where children can move between streams at the end of each year.
There seems to be a slight contradiction between these two statements of yours Martin...
And no, it is not just Andy's opinion that most comps tend not to encourage the gifted to rise to the best o their potential, but to sink to the median. I will happily grant you that this is not universal, but it is all too common - and there is plenty of documentary evidence to demonstrate this. I think it is improving now that the majority of comps DO stream the kids, rather than insisting on teaching mixed ability classes with the total thicko's in with the brainboxes (to be truly un-PC!), but it is still the case in far too many schools.
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