A mindset is a powerful thing.

A "mindset" is a powerful thing.
Our thoughts and our background contribute to the way we think about so many things.

The importance of finding ways to educate our children so that we can tease out the most from a child irrespective of their talent has to be of prime importance.
In the 50 / 60s, the 11 plus exam segregated those who passed and those who failed into Grammar Schools and Secondary Modern Schools. In this way the clever pupil was ensured of a good testing education, developing and preparing the child for University. It worked and our bright kids were the equal of any and our Universities recognised throughout the world. The problem was, what sort of education and what sort of prospects were on offer to the child who passed through there gates of the Secondary Modern School.

In Apartheid South Africa it was openly admitted that Black children were not to be given the opportunity to progress through education because it was Governments ideology to develop a two tier society.

It has to be considered that whilst there is no evidence that there was an ideological mindset to forgo the need to educate the less able child, the actual content of the Secondary Modern School syllabus was far lower than the Grammar School and there was no route out for late developers. If a view had been taken that more resources should have been directed to leaver up the under performing child we would have massively improved the mindset of millions of kids who grew to lack, self esteem and eventually swell the ranks of the unemployable which led many youth into the short cut of crime.
Good teachers and substantial investment in the methods of teaching, would have produced an opportunity to compete with the likes of Germany and the US but our "class orientated mindset" was not far short of that of the Afrikaner.