I AM writing to express my thanks to all in our Family of Schools for yet another excellent year with superb results achieved against a far from ideal funding base.

Having visited a number of concerts and special assemblies in recent weeks across the borough, and having witnessed the tremendous capacity of our young people for thinking of others throughout the year, I feel confident that the future is in very safe hands!

I remain optimistic that Bury's excellent credentials, backed by fairer funding, will ensure that we continue to see superb results across the Key Stages - as reflected in this year's tables - and that the partnership that has served us all so well in recent years will be strengthened still further.

Correspondent Mr A. Withington (Your Letters, Dec 17) urged me to "stop whingeing and moaning" in relation to funding for Bury's education service from central government. This is somewhat surprising as Mr Withington, a school governor himself, knows only too well that Bury's schools are hardly awash with cash. Indeed, the council (when there was discretion) chose to spend above SSA to maintain services in past years recognising that, to many parents, education is of paramount importance in terms of securing a decent future for their children. As a parent of two school-age children, I know that they have one chance in these crucial, formative years and we have a duty to do all we can to ensure that they receive the best possible start in life.

I hope, therefore, that Mr Withington can appreciate that this "whingeing and moaning" is for a good cause - to get much-needed fairer funding for this borough so that we all benefit.

Fairness, not favours . . . nothing more, nothing less!

Where I will not be found "whingeing and moaning" is in relation to the performance of the Family of Schools, which is a source of great pride to us all including, I would hope, Mr Withington in his capacity as a local school governor.

So, Mr Withington, I will continue to press the case for fairer funding for Bury at every possible opportunity! We have achieved miracles on a shoestring in recent years and now we need equity - for our children's sake - to continue to excel and secure still more accolades for our endeavours in the years to come.

COUNCILLOR ANDREA HUGHES,

school standards spokesperson,

Bury MBC.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.