That's my completely unscientific opinion dachlostar! And I think the differences between the UK and Australia are a big factor too - you're quite right, the class system is (or at least used to be) very entrenched there which is why I left. Funnily enough my privately schooled ex husband used to say that if he ever started a business, he would employ uni graduates from a working class background because they worked their socks off!

But schooling is just one aspect of a child's confidence of course, parental attitudes are also crucial. I had parents who told me that people like us didn't go to university, that I'd better leave school at 16 and if I was clever enough I might get to work in an office rather than the local factory. So I think that, more than the fact that I went to a state school, had a major impact on my confidence levels.

But there's a lot said by media commentators these days about parents giving their kids too much confidence - y'know the 'you can achieve anything you want, you deserve it' kind of parenting. And I think that has its drawbacks too. My 14-year-old stepdaughter who lives in the US is currently struggling in school getting mostly Cs to Fs. Her mum is still telling her that she can be anything she wants, she can be a lawyer, she can work for the United Nations, hell, she can be president if she wants. Whereas, I believe a bit of realism is called for and I'd be telling her 'y'know what maybe school just isn't for you, maybe if you hate it that much you'd be better off not wasting your time, the teachers time and your parents time. Maybe you'd be better off leaving early and getting a job if school sux that much.' She's no dummy but she's no Einstein either. I know it's a cliche but she's exceptionally good with people and I think she'll be really successful if she finds something that uses those skills. I'm not convinced, however, that spending the next four years nagging her to do her homework when she's clearly not interested is going to be very productive at all. Nor do I think putting her in a private school would benefit her. She's just not interested in learning and would rather be out in the real world, doing. Nothing wrong with that, we all have different paths and we all find our way eventually.