I WISH to reply to the letter headed "Fox holes" in the Citizen (May 20).

The writer seems to insinuate that the campaign launched by other parents and myself with regard to secondary school allocations is motivated by snobbishness. Unfortunately she has not fully understood the basis of our complaints.

Morecambe High School is a comprehensive school and caters for children with mixed abilities and those with special educational needs. Ms Morgan is not aware of the circumstances of the individual cases and therefore it is perhaps understandable that she has taken the easy option of assuming a subjective and somewhat naM- ve view. Throughout our campaign we have stuck to the facts. We have attempted to avoid being dragged into subjective and emotive side issues such as those raised by Ms Morgan. However, if she feels that "attitude, determination and positive support" are the sole preserve of parents and not part of a school's objective, she has a poor understanding of modern education. To suggest that a child will do well if the parents subsidise and underpin the poor performance of a school is an acceptance of mediocrity in the schools system. Parental support should bring added value to education; not act as a replacement for school failure.

In all facets of consumer life we now have a reasonable expectation to receive value for money and good levels of service. As a purchaser (tax payer) I expect to have these aspirations met. If they are not, in most cases, I can choose an alternative supplier. Such however is not the case in the state education system.

Schools with similar resources and pupil intake profiles deliver different results, the reasons for this are multitudinous but as a parent I would be failing my daughter if I didnt attempt to seek the "best value for money" with regard to her education.

Parents make informed choices, based on facts and tempered by broad experience; all are advisable criteria for expressing a preference or indeed an opinion.

George Fox

Whernside Road

Cross Hill

Lancaster

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