SIR - I feel I must respond to the glib and thoughtless way John Phillpott put his case for the retention of grammar schools (Seven Days, June 9).

Has he never thought about the 75 per cent of the population who failed their 11 plus?

It not only destroyed their confidence to be told at the age of 11 that they were inferior, but it also had a life-long affect on their future careers and how they perceived themselves.

I know this is true because I was a grammar girl and so were my daughters.

We have confidence in our own abilities, whether or not it is justified, because we passed the exam. This set us above others who were equally competent but not so lucky on the day.

Think also of the disruption and jealousy caused in families when one child passed and the other did not.

No country can prosper when it tells more than 75 per cent of its children that they are failures.

The price is too high and every effort should be made to make sure comprehensives are operating to the highest standards possible.

Sheila Garner, St John's, Worcester