But the top schools have entrance exams, or you have to excel at sports, to get in. They make sure you start off at a good enough caliber for them to push you to get a full set of A*s. Most of the top schools get over 90% A*s at GCSE.
http://www.best-schools.co.uk/league-tables/gcse-grades.aspx Did you go to private school then? If they don't like you, or you don't try, do they just say fuck you then?
Yes, there was an entrance exam to my school, still is... (unless you are good at rugger yahhh)
I was a very bright 11 year old, full of enthusiasm for education.
But my face didn't fit, my parents didn't move in the right social circles, and I didn't like the learning by rote.
Over a couple of years the school beat out of me any enthusiasm I once had.
Got 6 O levels, and 1 A level. Hows that?
One of my closest friends left there with no O levels at all, in fact, most of my social circle at the time left with less than 5 O levels, as i said, they'd find any excuse to exclude you if they didn't think you were going to be a high achieving ambassador for the school off to a good solid traditional Uni.
Yes, they basically say fuck you then if you're not Identikit student.
This is only my experience of one school.
And yes 90% of A*'s at GCSE, great, but have a word with the 10% who don't get that, how did they feel they were treated as students, as people? And, as others have said, school should be about a lot more than grades.
And I studied Latin (got a U at O level , unclassified for the younger peeps here). Why? they could see I was shit at Latin. No vocational options, no chance of doing City and guild Qualifications, ONC/HNC's etc as they were called, no, you studied academia, and only academia, and if you weren't good at academia you sat out the class and played pool, or just fucked off to drink and smoke.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
