Social mobility:as if the Tories cared

The suggestion that the resignation of the entire Social Mobility Commission is a "huge blow" to a prime minister who has "hinged her whole domestic agenda around improving opportunity" has little credibility, simply because of lack supporting evidence (For all May`s talk of meritocracy, she does nothing but reinforce privilege over opportunity,03.12.17). Even the excuses made to deflect blame from Tory governments, such as "deindustrialisation over the last 30 years", and generational wealth gaps, ignore governments` failure to distribute infrastructural investment away from the south-east.

     In education since 2010, governments have not only diverted funds from the state system to aid the creation of free schools, simultaneously threatening the return of grammar schools, they have ended the Education Maintenance Allowance which helped pupils from poorer backgrounds enter sixth forms, and removed coursework elements from external assessments. This is not the work of administrations keen to improve social mobility, especially when accompanied by austerity measures which have increased, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of children living in poverty by 400,000 in the last four years.

    The editorial mentioned the advantages gained by pupils at "elite public schools", but omitted to acknowledge the fact that Pre-U examinations have replaced A-levels in many independent schools. The head of Eton admitted to the Commons` select committee on education that seven of his staff are involved in the setting of these examinations, and no doubt the marking too! This becomes even more alarming when allied to the fact that Cambridge Assessment International Education, which runs Pre-U exams, is not a member of the body responsible for examination regulations and inspections, the Joint Council for Qualifications!

    Meg Kneafsey`s article on the "appalling behaviour" at Durham University simply added fuel to the argument for a law limiting the undergraduate intake of each university to 7% from the private sector, in line with national figures (Sneering at miners reflects a deeper malaise in our universities,03.12.17).