Sean Coughlan, via a kind reader’s email:

The UK performs poorly in an international league table showing how many disadvantaged pupils succeed “against the odds” at school.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has studied how pupils from poor backgrounds can succeed academically.
It says that “self-confidence” is a key factor in whether such pupils succeed.
The UK comes behind Mexico and Tunisia in the table – with the top places taken by Asian countries.