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[New POD]

Well...I am glad I got through life, brought up two kids, who are both in top jobs, been married 48 years, own my house (mortgage paid up), and apart from the 11 plus, I have never sat any other exams, apart from in class term exams. And I was 14 when I left school. No college, no university either.

When we were at school, we weren't pushed that hard. As long as we weren't disruptive, we could basically sit twiddling a pencil all day (secondary school, that is). Mainly because it was known that we would find our level in society. Unemployment was not a real problem, so there was kind of three tiers. The creme de la creme (and, in those days, it really was only the best) went to sixth form and uni. The middle tier(me), did well at GCE's and went into apprenticeships or the likes. Those that didn't do so well went on to be manual labourers, factory workers, binmen etc.
It worked because there were jobs, more or less, for all, and that is the big difference today.

Expectations.

A friend of mine went to the local comprehensive. Apparently when the 'careers officer' came to the school he spoke only of unskilled work or learning a trade. Expectations were not high.

At grammar school the career's officer used the words 'career and profession' Expectations were higher.

I imagine at Eton they speak of becoming Prime Minister. Expectations were higher again.

I went to a Comp in a white middle class dormitory town north of liverpool. I say white because about 0.5% were Chinese or Middle Eastern and that was it.
The head obviously wished he was running a grammar school and this meant the top 3 classes got the best teachers, but the bottom 5 classes were progressively worse.
If you didn't go to University you were assumed to have failed.
I went to a Polytechnic and so "under achieved"
Strange that the bloke who did our loft conversion was one of the failures who left with hardly any qualifications, became a joiner, started his own business and is much more well off than I.

[STEMO]

Well...I am glad I got through life, brought up two kids, who are both in top jobs, been married 48 years, own my house (mortgage paid up), and apart from the 11 plus, I have never sat any other exams, apart from in class term exams. And I was 14 when I left school. No college, no university either.

When we were at school, we weren't pushed that hard. As long as we weren't disruptive, we could basically sit twiddling a pencil all day (secondary school, that is). Mainly because it was known that we would find our level in society. Unemployment was not a real problem, so there was kind of three tiers. The creme de la creme (and, in those days, it really was only the best) went to sixth form and uni. The middle tier(me), did well at GCE's and went into apprenticeships or the likes. Those that didn't do so well went on to be manual labourers, factory workers, binmen etc.
It worked because there were jobs, more or less, for all, and that is the big difference today.

Expectations.

A friend of mine went to the local comprehensive. Apparently when the 'careers officer' came to the school he spoke only of unskilled work or learning a trade. Expectations were not high.

At grammar school the career's officer used the words 'career and profession' Expectations were higher.

I imagine at Eton they speak of becoming Prime Minister. Expectations were higher again.

I went to a Comp in a white middle class dormitory town north of liverpool. I say white because about 0.5% were Chinese or Middle Eastern and that was it.
The head obviously wished he was running a grammar school and this meant the top 3 classes got the best teachers, but the bottom 5 classes were progressively worse.
If you didn't go to University you were assumed to have failed.
I went to a Polytechnic and so "under achieved"
Strange that the bloke who did our loft conversion was one of the failures who left with hardly any qualifications, became a joiner, started his own business and is much more well off than I.

What part of Merseyside are you from?

[Rods2]

Nothing new then. where I wanted to take political history along with economic history as a ninth 'o' level, but the exams clashed, so I didn't do the extra lessons only to be told at exam application time, they didn't clash.