A statement of the blindingly obvious.

A grammar school takes the top performing pupils from its catchment area. It would be odd if they weren’t more likely to do well overall, regardless of the fact that not everyone who shines in the 11 plus will outperform at GCSE or A level.

I was lucky. I went to one of Wales’s top comprehensive schools, Cardiff High. It was once a famous grammar school but has been just as successful as a comprehensive. But its popularity – house prices in Cyncoed and Lakeside reflect the scramble to buy homes in its catchment area – shows that heated debates about grammar v comprehensive are often meaningless. Far more important is how a school, regardless of its status, brings out a pupil’s potential.