One thing that that Wikipedia article doesn’t seem to mention is that some regional examination boards had reputations for tougher courses than others. I remember when I received my A-levels (most JMB, one AEB), JMB and certain other boards were considered the gold standard, while AEB definitely wasn’t.
No, That’s for the metric tonne - the slang referred to derived from the old Imperial ton - so ton would stilll be the correct spelling.
It’s a Yorkshire thing too and it can be affectionate as much as insulting, like daft or silly. I was round a mate’s house today being made a huge fuss of by her cat John Boy and she called him a barmpot.
I’ve been thinking a bit more about primary schools and think it’s worth mentioning that back in the day they were also divided into infants (up to 8) and juniors (8 - 11). There’s also nursery school for the under fives, these are often part of primary schools too.