Abolition of senior secondary schools was big mistake for Scotland’s children

I have followed your articles and letters about state education in Scotland. Frank Gerstenberg’s contribution (Letters, 7 January) is interesting because it alludes to certain things, and is a balanced piece.

He mentions the french state system, but does not actually mention that France never implemented an all-through, one-size-fits-all comprehensive system. They know it and, indeed, have some “écoles uniques”, but they do not like them. They retained the equivalent of our pre-existing system of senior secondary/junior secondary schools (lycées/ lycées techniques) and find that this works very well.

Why does this work so well for them? Apart from the excellence of the lycées and their very demanding baccalauréat qualification, they invested a lot of resources in creating a formidable lycée techniques system, where youngsters get a thorough training in their chosen skills.

This contrasts sharply with our erstwhile disgraceful junior secondaries which, in their day, were little more than transit camps between primary school and unskilled employment (if they were lucky). But with the Education Act of 1965, we abolished, with great reforming zeal, and a measure of vengeful “egalitarianism”, the very schools which actually worked – the wonderful senior secondaries!

These were centres of academic excellence, which could give a run for their money to any of the independent schools, both academically and in sport. But we abolished the wrong ones. Instead of taking the dreadful junior secondaries and recasting them along the lines of other countries like France and Germany, we foisted a monolithic comprehensive system upon everybody as the only state option.

We failed to understand that the senior secondaries were in no way “elitist” as children from the most modest background had access to them if they worked and had a modicum of ability.

Ironically, if you wish now to exercise choice, you actually have to be “elitist” and send your children to an independent school. But this is not so much based on truly egalitarian ability, irrespective of background, it is much more based on ability to pay.

BRIAN D YORK Ardwall Road, Dumfries