Everyone has it in them to succeed

I HAVE just watched a TV programme entitled The Knowledge – an extended, excruciating series of tests required to be passed before a person wishing to be a black cab driver in London is awarded a green badge to enable them to drive a cab.

The candidates came from diverse backgrounds including a refugee, a single mother, a middle-aged family man who had lost his job and a man who left school unable to read or write and because of his bad behaviour at school and his involvement with a criminal gang had caused his teachers to write him off with no future.

What they all had in common was a determination to succeed in spite of temporary failures on the way and a dedication to their study over three to four years.

In spite of all the so-called studies I have always maintained that anyone, whatever their background, can succeed if they really want to.

This also applies to going to a grammar school if one is academically inclined. There is nothing wrong with a technical education or an apprenticeship if that is the chosen future path.

The myth put forward by the Labour and Lib Dem parties that only middle class children get to grammar schools because their parents pay for private tuition is a load of nonsense.

I, my wife and children all went to grammar schools. We were not from middle class backgrounds nor did we get private tuition.

My grandson has just left a boarding grammar school, which incidentally is the school attended by Jeremy Corbyn, and he did not receive private tuition. He paid attention at school and showed determination to succeed and get to university.

A study of the world learning tables shows that most of the highly-qualified people come from countries with a much lower standard of living than that of UK.

I lived for some time in Hong Kong where the population was made up mainly of refugees from China.

These people knew that to get on, a good education was vital and they applied themselves to study. BRIAN TAYLOR, North Shields