Your report on the educational postcode lottery was shocking, but not altogether surprising (Locked out, News, October 23).  Schools matter, but the effect on life chances of where you live, what level of education your parents had and your socio-economic status accounts for around 85% of the total. The question is whether we really want a more egalitarian society.  Scotland, argues John Swinney, could be the sixth most prosperous nation in the world, yet poverty is still the single biggest determinant of educational success. But prosperity is not the most important factor in a country s success; equality is.  Last week, Tom Shields noted that research on IQ confirms poor kids are no less bright than affluent ones, and test scores are not accurate predictions of future success. Where  setting  exists, boys from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately represented in bottom sets.  The solution is available, if we are willing to let it work. Comprehensive schools, with no selection, should be  the norm for all children, with no requirement for private schools. But  housing policy, from the 1950s onwards, subverted the comprehensive ideal and now many city schools do not have a representative cross-section of the population.  Mrs Thatcher couldn t stop the growth of comprehensives but she introduced the so-called Parents  Charter, again to subvert them. Perhaps it is time local schools got the support of the whole of their communities, including the middle classes. Our aim should be to move towards a system closer to the Nordic countries where inequalities are much less pronounced than in the UK and all young people are nurtured to realise their potential as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.  Brian Boyd  Emeritus Professor of Education  University of Strathclyde  Following the 1981 decision to give parents choice of schools, it was predictable that aspirational, concerned parents, faced with the choice between two schools, one of which regularly outperformed the other, would be more likely to opt for the former.  after a generation, the rich have indeed become much richer, and the poorer are working under a tremendous handicap. Even the most well-run school in a poor area struggles to reverse the trend, not least because it takes six years for a new intake to show up in the destination figures. Many universities are sympathetic to the problem, but parents of children in state schools in privileged areas and private schools apply pressure to maintain their advantage.  Can nothing be done? Should we look at the Texas 10% scheme, whereby the top-performing 10% of pupils in any state school are guaranteed a university place? This might make parents think twice before moving children to a school in a nearby leafy suburb.  Secondly, is it not incongruous that newly-qualified teachers are paid a premium to teach in remote areas, but not in our challenging city schools? If we are to avoid reading the same  investigation  in another 25 years we need to look at radical solutions   above all, those who have all the advantages at present must be willing to share them more equably.  Roy Crichton  Edinburgh  Last year only 1% of looked-after children went on to higher education, compared to 36% of all school children. The tragedy is that over half of looked-after children will be unemployed six months after leaving school.  Barnardo s Scotland would like to see the Scottish Government and education institutions do more in supporting looked-after children into further and higher education, with educational, living and financial support, as well as working directly with children in schools to help with the transition.  Every child has the right to an education, and should be given the chance to fulfil their potential in spite of early disadvantages.  Sallyann Kelly  acting director  Barnardo s Scotland  From the moment my children were born I, like most parents, had the overwhelming desire that they achieve their educational potential, graduate from university and live happy, fulfilling lives. So I enrolled them within the independent sector, trusting that they would soak up every learning opportunity placed in front of them.  Having myself attended both private and state secondary schools, I chose the one where I had found greater security, confidence and success within a motivated peer group. However, I did not legislate for the acrimonious divorce, the house move to another area and the stress of increasing debt as I try to maintain emotional stability and consistency by continuing their education within the independent sector. I have come to the point where I have decided I have failed as a parent   more so than any state school could have.  Parents are the primary educators in children s lives. Parents encourage motivation and a desire to learn. I now have to withdraw my children from schools where they are happy and achieving, as in I can no longer afford the fees. I can only hope they will continue to achieve through resilience and a determination to succeed as this is something they have learned at home. Children learn what they live   despite the postcode.  Name and address supplied  It was a delight to read Tariq ali s Essay of the week (Revolution generation, Comment, October 23). I, too, applaud the people, young and not so young, who are demonstrating against  a system of despotic finance-capital: a greed-infected vampire that must suck the blood of the non-rich to survive .  I liked, too, his description of our politicians as  extremist politicians of the centre . The only word I d add to this description is  supine    but only when dealing with the greed-infected vampires who run our banks and international corporations. Not so when it comes to using intimidation, lies and doctored statistics to present the case for Unionism in Britain.  It is a certainty that, with the discovery of accessible oil in the waters off Shetland, the Westminster Government will revive the old lies laid bare by the 30-year rule in order to present a completely false impression of an independent Scotland s financial viability.  Lovina Roe  Perth  The dispute over so-called  gay marriage  is now going from the sublime to the ridiculous   or vice versa (SNP backer Sir Tom Farmer speaks