"I was really tired last year and fully resigned to go off to the Balkans to die, " said one 13-year-old Beijinger after she passed the entrance exam for a middle school attached to the renowned People's University.

CNN: LITTLE EMPERORS

And he said a "shockingly low" number of children from poor backgrounds were getting into grammar schools, while middle class children were being coached to pass the exam.

BBC: NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Tories 'out of touch' on grammars

Take Beechen Cliff grant maintained comprehensive school in Bath, for example - with pupils coming mainly from middle class, professional backgrounds and consistently above-average exam results.

BBC: Education: School League Tables