[user104658]

The way I can see it as justifiable is if it is ONLY for very intelligent kids who would otherwise be drafted into a state school with a poor record. I personally have no problem with academic elitism: it's a simple fact that some kids who are highly intelligent fall through the cracks because they are from poorer socioeconomic circumstances and end up with very few opportunities, whilst some (frankly) distinctly average kids end up at good universities and then going into better careers simply because their parents could afford private school fees. Anything that can even slightly remedy that, is welcome.

I've never been a fan of "lowest common denominator" schooling. The brightest kids should be given room to grow and should not be held back by classmates who aren't of the same ability level. I know that's not the popular opinion these days, but anything else is just willfully holding back a vast pool of academic and economic potential. Conversely, I think kids who are clearly never going to achieve well academically should be steered away from academic subjects at an earlier stage. We currently waste untold resources pointlessly trying to teach "everyone everything".

However, I doubt that's what this school would actually be in the end. It would probably just end up a free private school for parents who could afford a lot of private tutoring for their children.