Surely the 'non-grammars' in a selective (grammar) area are Secondary Moderns, not Comprehensives?

[erebus]

Or have I misunderstood the meaning of the word 'comprehensive'?

GiddyPickle, there is no pass or fail. If you get a high enough mark you get in. Some of the Grammars in Essex do have to take a percentage of pupils from within catchment but in terms of league tables they are not quite as successful as the schools that don't.

That a very sad state of affairs Giddy. I think I prefer the Essex approach which actually gives you your rank order for the school to which you applied. There is always the possibility that the same result might have got you a place at another Grammar school than that to which you applied. It doesn't feel so much like a pass/fail scenario IYKWIM.

I went to a Comp in Essex, v close to the super selective Chelmsford grammar schools. Judging from uniforms walking around the area, the grammar school had creamed off no more than 2 or 3 kids per year. So it didn't make a huge difference. And there were parents (like mine) who didn't like the idea of the grammars so the kids never sat the tests.

My husband, on the other hand, went to a Belfast grammar - they took the top 25% and the comps were really secondary moderns in the old fashioned sense.