Any question answered...

Wow, imagine how far he would he have got if he wasn't dragging some guy who wouldn't let go of the back wheel.

Always catch him commute in Richmond Park, super awesome.

I'm not sure you do, isn't he from the Wirral?

Dorney Common?

I'm pretty sure I saw him with a flat bar.

Dorney Common?

Yes

what is tl;dr definition of grammar school?

A way for posh people to save money on school fees

Between roughly WWII and the 70s kids had to do an exam at 11 years old called the "eleven plus". The ones who got the best results went to grammar schools, while the others went to "secondary modern" schools. Grammar schools taught more academic subjects with a focus to getting the kids to university, while secondary moderns focused on more vocational subjects.

Quite long; do read

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripartite_System_of_education_in_England,_Wales_and_Northern_Ireland

got it .. so these are 'better' schools in a way? And are they as expensive as private schools (state funded)?

A way for the clever sons of poor people to get a decent education.

Listen to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mz0hj to see whether that actually works in practice.

All school types were supposed to be of equal standing, just teaching different subjects. However, grammar schools developed more prestige. Some students paid fees to go to some grammar schools. I believe it was based on your family's ability to pay.

and they still exist? This article got me curious: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/aug/23/argument-for-grammar-schools-selective-education-theresa-may

Many schools that are now called "grammar schools" are almost entirely private today, to further complicate things. In addition, certain areas of England and NI retain the grammar school system.

I did my 11 plus in 1998 and went to a grammar school. I did 4 more GCSE's than friends in local standard secondary school. There are still grammar schools here (Buckinghamshire). I got in based purely on my 11 plus score but having older siblings already in the school helped some people get places. Some parents also made donations...

Mine's now a grammar school with academy status, whatever that means.

Mine was (and still is) a comprehensive. It even has that word in its name.

Harry Styles went there.

Harry Styles went there.

I'd keep that to myself if I were you

My old headmaster used to say that the entrance criteria for our place was that you could hold a pen (not be able to use a pen, that was a bit over-ambitious).

Listen to bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mz0hj­ to see whether that actually works in practice.

I was going to suggest that. Really good programme I thought. I didn't appreciate how short lived they actually were.

Tl;dr = selective state schools designed to be "better" and more academic.

I went to a grammar school.

Bruce Forsythe went there.

Also many counties still did the 11plus exams well into the 00's.

Some still do.

Ulrika Jonsson and Jimmy Carr apparently followed me at my gramer scool.