[West Ender]

My grandson went to Manchester Grammar which is a public school. His mother, my daughter, was a single parent and, though she worked full time, she wasn't earning the kind of money that pays school fees. The school offered a bursary which meant she only paid about a quarter of the fees. It was still a struggle but she did it, mainly because he was a very bright lad and the local high school was crap.

No council should top up school fees. If the parent loses their job they are likely to have assets, as well as a good redundancy payment, and they should use them to pay - or remove the child to a state school. It's what my daughter would have had to do.