Having read the comments made by Anthony Seldon and his reference to middle-class parents as "moral unworthies" who seek out the best state schools, I feel obliged to respond with my personal experience of school selection for my son.

Coming from a working-class background, through the comprehensive secondary system and eventually graduating from university, I suppose I would now be described by Dr Seldon as middle-class (but certainly don't feel that way inclined).

In the interests of our son's education, we actually applied for a place at Brighton College but unfortunately the "selection" process at that school is at best hard to fathom and at worst confusing and misleading.

We visited the school when our son was quite young and, impressed by what we saw and heard and wishing to be well prepared for the future, we paid a deposit to the college to secure his place on the understanding that this would be subject to him passing the entrance examination.

When the time came, our son sat the exam and we were advised that he had "more than passed the entrance requirements".

However, we were also advised there was not a place for him at the college. We were both surprised and disappointed by this news as he was among the brightest in his previous school's primary class.

We were baffled, particularly as we knew of other applicants who, although less academically gifted, had gained entry (perhaps because they excelled at sport).

We were at a loss to explain to our son why, having done very well in the entrance exam, he was not being offered a place. On seeking clarification, we were advised that the school had received more applicants than places and therefore excellence in areas other than academic had been taken into account.

While I can see the importance of a mixed curriculum, I believe a school's primary function should be academic.

Brighton College does indeed have excellent facilities and results, but at what price to elitism and the exclusion of children who, at the age of ten, are judged not to be gifted enough in aspects other than academic attainment and are therefore denied the opportunity to develop and possibly excel in other social, sporting or performing areas?

Looking for alternatives, my wife, son and I spent considerable time visiting several local state schools and vetted several private schools.

We eventually shortlisted these to Blatchington Mill, Dorothy Stringer and Lewes Old Grammar.

Lewes Old Grammar, a private school, required our son to sit an entrance exam and was extremely enthusiastic about his performance in that exam. They offered us a place immediately.

Meanwhile, we were refused entry to Blatchington Mill and Dorothy Stringer because, living in Westdene, we were outside the catchment area drawn that year for Blatchington Mill (our first preference) and Dorothy Stringer was filled with first-preference allocations and not accepting any second-preference applicants.

We were offered the alternative of a place at Falmer but this was unacceptable to us because, besides not being the school we believed would offer the best opportunities for our son as an individual, the travel and safety implications were insurmountable and it was on all three aspects that we appealed to the Independent Appeals Panel against the LEA's decision. Our appeal was upheld by the panel and we were granted a place at Blatchington Mill.

In jointly making our final decision on the preferred school, we took into consideration a whole list of criteria (the least of which was financial) and decided that Blatchington Mill was the best option.

Our son is now in his second year, performing extremely well and enjoying his time there. We have every reason to believe we have made the right choice, based on our son's needs and not simply for the privilege of private education.

-G Greensmith, Brighton