12 JUNE 1947, Page 15

THE BEST IN EDUCATION

Snt,—The figures regarding winners of Oxford and Cambridge open scholarships given by Mr. Hunt and discussed by Dr. Maxwell Garnett are doubtless true, and Mr. Hunt does well to stress the superior cultural and administrative quality of independent governing bodies as compared with the local education authorities of our counties—and especially of of our county boroughs. However, neither of your correspondents men- tions what is by far the biggest factor operating against the ex-primary school-boy of promising intelligence and ambition, viz., the retardation to which he is subjected between the ages of eight and eleven in regard to subjects of study. During this three-year span he does no Latin or French, and is nowadays not allowed to rake any approach to English grammar. The last deprivation proves by far the greatest of his handi- caps in beginning the proper language work of the secondary school. It is well known that the same ignorance of basic grammatical ter- minology and function also makes it hauler to teach him mathematics and science. He has had no precision training of any kind except, perhaps, in arithmetio—and the level of his attainment here again tends to fall. Before reaching -the secondary school he does, of course, no algebra and no geometry whatever. It is easy to verify that at eleven- plus he has missed more than three thousand lessons in English grammar, Latin, French, algebra and geometry—lessons which are given as core- discipline in any reputable preparatory school.

However good the State grammar school may be, and however hard boys and masters may work there, the earlier retardation is of so decisive a nature that only the occasional genius in such schools can cover in seven years (11 to 18) a subject-range for which independent schools have ten years. (8 to 18). All standards in the State grammar schools tend to be lower for the above reasons principally. though there are others ; and they have no staff to spare for coaching specially able boys from the beginning, as well as in the VIth form. After twenty years of public-school teaching and fifteen years as headmaster of a maintained grammar school, I know beyond a shadow of doubt that the root of the trouble is in the- primary school, and that there will never be a semblance of equal opportunity for all -until the Ministry of Education treats the 8-11 age-groups seriously,' dtops some part of the present school-time allocations to weaving, raffia-work, book-binding, gardening, spray- painting, &c., so beloved of faddist inspectors, and returns to a Victorian discipline in language and mathematics. Recovery of morale depends on this forsaking of false gods and soft paths no less than does the poor boy's opportunity to show his intellectual quality and serve his country in professions of good standing.—Yours faithfully, W. W. FLETCHER.

High School for Boys, Middlesbrough.

SIR,—Mr. Rex Knight enjoins Dr. Garnett and myself, and presumably Janus too, to be ready despite our Cambridge origins to recognise the merits of other universities than our own and Oxford. So we ought, especially as it would be a, serious matter to mislead the many sixth formers who show their fitness for the best in education by reading your paper. But it is the fact that while Oxford and Cambridge together offer about 600 scholarships and exhibitions yearly, London awards only some 40. So whatever preference the pupils of L.C.C. schools may entertain, most of them will try, as do the most able boys from all parts of England, to obtain an award at Oxford or Cambridge, where the endowments are more ample. It may also be remarked, however, that a speaker who addressed the Association of University Teachers in con- ference recently deplored the prestige enjoyed by Oxford and Cambridge in comparison with other universities and hoped to see the latter levelled up to the standard of the older universities, much as I wish to see the local education authorities' grammar schools raised to the level of those which are better endowed. The moral in both cases seems to be that there is an intimate connection, even in the world of education, between

money and prestige.—Yours faithfully, J. W. HUNT. 95 The Drive Mansions, Fulham Road, S.W.6.