Letter: Head pupils pass the beauty test

Sir: I have no doubt that Rugby school selected their head boy and girl on merit ("Rugby boys in protest over first head girl deny sexism", 15 June), but the reality in most places is that the choice of head pupil will be strongly biased on aesthetic grounds.

If you are short, fat, big-nosed, notoriously poor at sport, or just plain ugly, you will have almost no chance at all of being selected as head pupil anywhere, regardless of your potential leadership qualities.

Yours sincerely,

STEPHEN R. GOULD

London, SW5