When St Olave’s, one of the country’s leading grammar schools, was found to have acted unlawfully by throwing out sixth-formers who were unlikely to achieve high grades in their A levels, all hell broke loose.

An independent inquiry reported in July that the school, which is based in Orpington, Kent, behaved callously, treating its students as “collateral damage”, and leaving them distraught and not knowing where to turn for help.