Vouchers?

I suspect.

Tokens actually. Little round brass ones with the Queen's head on the back.

_________________
That subtle admixture of the absurd and the surreally plausible...

Nah. If you give those to the plebs they spend them on booze, fags and chips. Education only. Lots of dosh for their mates at the private schools.

You misunderstand, I envisioned the plebs paying the tokens out of their own pockets to the Toadmeister and his chums at the new private schools.

_________________
That subtle admixture of the absurd and the surreally plausible...

Ah, no.
The government taxes the plebs.
It saves a loada cash by privatising education.
It gives the vouchers to the plebs who have to buy their education from the private schools or get entry to secondary moderns.
Private schools are run by big charities (Eton, Harrow et al) and chains (Harris, Ark) who are friends of the government.
Real plebs can't top-up and don't get in. But they know they could if they had a bit more dosh.
Middle class kids (like those of journoslime) can top up and get the much-vaunted private education deal.
Journoslime happy and run down the pleb schools to make their privilege more embedded.