As someone who is basically supportive of the comprehensive education I received I'm not immediately convinced the advantages of one-on-one teaching would outweigh the disadvantages of being outside the system..
Steve Being in my mid 60,s and coming from a long line of coalminers (1677) and cotton mill workers (early 1800's) and having been to one of the best schools in the North West (paid for by the Government and my Labour Local Authority), my Father-in-Law also went there pre Second World War but his father had to pay, I regard the destruction of the Grammar Scholl/Direct Grant Schools as one of the worst things that happened to bright working class children. (my mother like many working class children was strangely ill on 11 plus day). Perhaps I'm biased being a child of the 1944 Butler Education Act and having seen its good points destroyed by Labouir politicians some of whom went to private schools and Oxbridge, to make damn sure there were no working class kids to compete with their children (read the Rise of the Meritocracy which predicted exactly that that would happen). However back to boating, I assume Braunston is iced up, we might pop up for the day for a run out when it thaws. Colin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
