'This book performs the important civic service of showing the ways in which the English education system has worked consistently for over two centuries to sustain and reinforce those inequalities which continue to be such a marked feature of contemporary English society. Clearly written and well-organised, the detailed narrative shows fully how the careful and critical study of education over the long term is such a valuable perspective from which to study British society.'
Simon Szreter, Professor of History and Policy, University of Cambridge.
''An essential guide to the troubling history of educational inequalities in the UK and how they explain our contemporary social problems.''
Gary McCulloch, Brian Simon Professor of History of Education, UCL Institute of Education.