Why did Britain embrace the 11-plus and academic selection after the Second World War — and why did the system begin to unravel so quickly?
In this interview for Comprehensive Future, Jack Deasley speaks to CF patron and historian Professor Peter Mandler about the rise and decline of grammar schools, the origins of comprehensive education, and the enduring political appeal of selection.
Drawing on decades of historical research, Professor Mandler explores how the post-war selective system developed, why many families and policymakers became dissatisfied with the divide between grammar schools and secondary moderns, and what today’s debates about social mobility and meritocracy often overlook.
Professor Peter Mandler is a historian of modern Britain and former Professor of Modern Cultural History at the University of Cambridge. A considerable amount of his work focuses on education, meritocracy and social change, including his book The Crisis of the Meritocracy.
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Highlights from the discussion
Did the 11-plus improve social mobility?
Professor Mandler discusses one of the central promises of the 11-plus system: the idea that academic selection would increase social mobility by identifying “hidden talent” regardless of class background.
Drawing on historical research from the 1950s onwards, he explains how early studies of the selective system quickly raised difficult questions about whether the 11-plus was truly overcoming social inequality — or simply reproducing existing social divisions in a new form.
Why did support for grammar schools begin to decline?
As more children moved through the post-war secondary system, growing numbers of parents and teachers began questioning why some pupils were sent to well-funded grammar schools while others were directed to secondary modern schools with fewer opportunities.
Professor Mandler explores how many children who failed the 11-plus nevertheless went on to succeed academically, helping to fuel the growth of comprehensive education during the 1950s and 1960s.
What are the costs of academic selection?
Professor Mandler discusses modern claims about grammar schools and social mobility, and asks what the costs of academic selection might be if the evidence for its wider benefits is limited.
The discussion explores research comparing selective and non-selective areas, the pressures created by high-stakes testing at age 11, and the wider social divisions that can emerge within selective systems.
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