the first thing I tell anyone who asks me for career advice is that I went to a private school + then a grammar school for 6th form

and let me tell you from the bottom of my heart ABOLISH THEM BOTH because they teach you how to navigate highly exclusive, elitist spaces

my private school had elocution lessons and we had regular high teas with the head mistress every month - quite simply, what the fuck???? why else would this happen if not to give children an unfair advantage??

I waltzed into the grammar school that was impossible to get into on the last day of year 11 because I "changed my mind" about the other private school I was meant to go to and the grammar school offered me a place on the spot - this is just unreal levels of privilege

I can't change the school I went to, but I know for a fact I've got opportunities in life through "charm," "cultural capital" and private school contacts. I will never hide this fact and it doesn't undo the hard work I did, but everyone deserves a chance at a good education.

I was smart but not "smart" smart and I know that if my parents didn't stick me into private school, I probably would have had a very different trajectory in life. It's disgusting that the educational inequality is so big in the UK.

Obviously as a child you don't understand any of this and I did a lot of my emotional maturing in my early 20s. I'm not proud of any of this but as @ImogenWK said, those who went to private school have to be upfront about it!! we STILL benefit from it to this day