Sarah Teather goes to school

It has been nearly 20 years since I sat in a comprehensive school as a student...

writes Sarah Teather on the Guardian's mortarboard blog today.

That is true. But as an earlier profile, also from the Guardian, makes clear, it is slightly less long since she sat in the independent Leicester Grammar School as a student.

As the product of a Leicestershire comprehensive myself, I take an interest in such things.

It strikes me that Sarah's background - experience of state schools, private schools and home schooling - is perfect for a shadow education secretary. I do hope she will not feel obliged to play it down.