Jenny of Rotherham passed the 11-plus, then failed the interview at her local grammar school. “It is clear that Jenny would be better suited to attendingI” This was old-fashioned class discrimination. The grammar school was for the children of the professional classes and Jenny, despite being academically able, was from the wrong background. In theory, grammar schools provided a ladder for clever working-class children. In reality they were mostly a perk of the middle classes.

Bearing the weight of parental disappointment was difficult. Peter of Finchley, now a successful journalist, still remembers the bike he was promised if he passed the 11-plus. It remained in the shop. “I resented being named and shamed for my lack of academic ability. It contributed to a sense of inferiority in later life.”

Malcolm in Exeter felt he had let his parents down. When his father lay dying in hospital, he imagined he was still brooding on his son’s 11-plus failure 40 years earlier.

The differing fate of siblings was one of the most difficult aspects of selection, and caused endless family tensions. Two brothers did not speak to each other for 20 years as a result of one failing the exam and not making it to university.

For others, it was the difference in facilities that emphasised the loss of a grammar school place. Maggie of Croydon, now a freelance writer, became used to the small, asphalted playground at her secondary modern. Transferring to the grammar sixth form, she discovered hockey pitches, playing fields and tennis courts.

For some, the experiences were little short of a disaster. David, who went to a secondary modern in Harrow, says: “There are no words I can use to express my disgust and contempt for the people responsible for two-tier education. The damage they have done to me and others is immense.” Only now, going to university aged 43, does he believe he has overcome that bleak experience.

Some teachers look back on the experience of teaching in secondary moderns affectionately. They remember days free from the pressures of league tables and inspections, and with the power to use their professional judgment in deciding on a suitable curriculum. Several ex-secondary modern teachers nostalgically remember rural studies, horticulture and the pleasures of supervising the children in running the school farm.

But some ex-pupils did have positive experiences of secondary moderns, particularly if they were in the top streams. In many cases, success was down to the inspiration of a particularly dynamic or sympathetic teacher. Janet in Blackburn remembers Miss Redwood, who taught her home economics, and thinks of her “every time I don my pinny”. When she graduated with an MSc, she was pleased to be able to tell the university chancellor “not bad for an 11-plus failure”.

Parental support was crucial for many. Esther of Staines remembers life in the B-stream, washing dolls, learning how to vacuum and making teachers’

lunches. Intervention by her mother put her into the A-stream, where O-levels were possible, and then transfer to a grammar sixth form. Discrimination did not end, as the secondary modern pupils were not allowed to mix with the rest of the sixth form, and had to use a temporary classroom called the inter-sixth.

It is true that nobody forgets a good teacher. These experiences suggest that perhaps individuals are more important than institutions. But most pupils failed to find that critical individual. My overwhelming impression is of the waste of talent and the frustration and anger it caused. Many people succeeded despite being 11-plus failures, but it should not have been so difficult.

Andrew Granath

Andrew Granath is head of history at the Latymer school, London borough of Enfield