Education and health were supposed to be among the flagship proposals of this Queen's Speech.

But with a hung parliament even slightly controversial plans always faced a battle to make it into the legislative programme.

And the dumping of manifesto pledges to scrap free school lunches and reintroduce grammar schools was welcomed by one Norfolk headteacher. Ian Clayton, of Thorpe St Andrew High School, said binning the grammar plans was a 'step forward'.

'Grammar schools were an unnecessary distraction and side show to what really matters – raising standards. This comes from someone who got into a grammar school by the skin of their teeth, but I worry about branding youngsters early on and putting them into categories.

'The biggest issues we face are implementing curriculum changes and our budgets – like everyone else I am going to have to make some really hard decisions. Across the country there will be fewer teachers, fewer learning support assistants and so on.'

He said he would also welcome the end of the free school breakfasts for primary children scheme, which would have replaced free lunches for pupils up to the age of seven.

'There was more to consider than the cost of the breakfast – who will be paying for the adults who are supervising it? It was in essence free childcare but with the costs passed onto schools. There was a huge amount of work to implement the free lunches, and to throw that away was problematic.'

But mental health campaigners reacted with anger at what they believed was a missed opportunity.

A spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said: 'We are deeply concerned that the government review of mental health legislation is motivated by a desire to remove the statutory duty which detention places upon the NHS to provide suitable beds and treatment, thus enabling even deeper cuts.

'When we hear about inappropriate detention, the cause is lack of resources not legislation, as elderly people suffering from dementia are placed on inappropriate adult psychiatric wards or people in crisis, young and old, are sent miles away.'