I AM pleased to see that V Lawrenson (Letters, April 3) was in sympathy with my daughter's dismay at being refused a place at Meadowhead Nursery School, and that she agrees there are insufficient nursery places for every child.

Neither my daughter nor I have formed any adverse opinions regarding pre/play schools. It is just a physical impossibility for me to be in two places at once, considering that the boys' elder sister is already a pupul at Meadowhead Juniors, and we would have liked them to go right through the same school from nursery to juniors as she did.

D Sunter (Letters, April 7) seems to have missed the point entirely. She starts by complaining about John Blunt and his views on the unfair treatment given to two-parent families due to the laid down criteria, then goes on to compare her single-parent daughter to my married one, saying she does her household chores while her child is at nursery. My daughter does her home chores in the evening after she gets home from work, with no husband to help as he works until 8.30pm, sometimes later and also Saturdays: her shopping is done during her dinner hour. We all have our crosses to bear

The point is that my daughter has had the boys' names down for entry since they were six weeks old, as was their cousin's, who was also refused a place.

It is no small wonder she and I are annoyed to be told that 50 per cent of the intake must be composed of children with social and educational needs. Why should they have priority?

Seeing the government, after 18 years, has been able to keep nursery places in short supply, it would have been much fairer to take those applying for admission in date-of-application order.

D EDDLESTON (Mrs), Arnside Crescent, Fensicowles, Blackburn.

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