Andrew Neil made interesting points in his BBC programme Posh and Posher on the public school domination of his government.

As a coach I am all too used to bringing the only state school competitors to debate competitions. This was so on Monday last week, when my state school team went through to national finals.

After a competition, one of our students said: “You won’t be happy until you have more of us in the shadow cabinet than there are Etonians”, to which another debater said: “What do you mean ‘shadow’?”. We in the state sector have to be ambitious for our able students, and put resources into stretching them.

Karen Revans, Bridgwater, Somerset.