IN my 20 years deeply involved in High Wycombe education and policy often at a senior level, I can comment as follows:

1 The day my daughter so called 'passed' to the grammar school I witnessed at least seven of her very close friends stating they had 'failed'. It distressed both of us deeply.

2 That same day her class separated into two groups in very subtle ways.

3 A 'star' secondary school pupil went on to a grammar school to do sixth form work, and he remarked to me how much better he could have done if similar facilities had been available at the secondary school.

4 A highly-respected secondary school headteacher when leaving was asked, 'Do you have one main regret?' His reply was yes, 'that I had to devote so much energy to persuading his pupils that they were not second-class'.

5 So many pupils at the lower levels at some of the grammar schools told me how much they were struggling and were deeply unhappy.

The standards in the grammar schools is excellent, but if they shouldn't be closed then consider drastically reducing the numbers, and give the secondaries the improved resources, and look again at properly developing sixth form activity on the same sites.

Chris Wesson

Orchard Road

Seer Green