This is, after all, a ballot that could see children of all abilities sharing their classes. Even if it turns into one big comprehensive, they'll still have to separate people into streams. It's better for me, because before I didn't really have the chance to do the best of my abilities, whereas here I can. But one boy could see some benefits if local parents do vote 'Yes' to abandoning the 11-plus. There are no GNVQs or anything like that.
Comprehensives seem to be better and give more choice.
One parent with a special interest in the outcome of the ballot is Simon Grenfell. To him it's a simple case of not tinkering with a winning formula. If it isn't broke, then don't fix it. Although he feels that if Ripon's education system were being designed from scratch today, then a comprehensive school might well be a viable option, for him the Grammar School should remain as it is. It has that sort of atmosphere.