AS a teacher, parent and resident of Eltham, I wasn't surprised to see the Labour leader of the council admitting the authority has failed over education. But I think the confession is overdue.

Parents in this borough have known for a long time the council is failing our children.

I think Councillor Chris Roberts is very much mistaken if he thinks parents won't be influenced by the fact that Greenwich was named as the seventh worst Local Education Authority (LEA) in the country by the government. Already a large number of residents send their children out of the borough to be educated.

It is time to let the headteachers and teachers have the freedom to decide what is best for their schools and not to start blaming them for the state of education in the borough.

As for the "radical reforms" he speaks of, I do not think closing schools and shutting sixth-forms is really what this borough needs.

It would have been much better if they had listened to parents and teachers in the first place.

SPENCER DRURY

HEATHERBANK

SE9

December 20, 2001 10:52