Tighten checks on the 3Rs basics

SIR - We are repeatedly told that more and more children are leaving school unable to read or write. Education Secretary Ruth Kelly says that youngsters who struggle with the three Rs will receive one-to-one tuition previously available only to parents who could afford to pay for it (T&A, October 17).

When I attended school both my classwork and homework were regularly checked and marked according to merit, so why is that procedure not practised today? And if it is how come pupils are allowed to leave school illiterate without something having been done to rectify the situation?

The phrase "to turn a blind eye" springs to mind. I also well remember class sizes of around 40 but nowadays teachers do not seem to be able to cope with nearly half that number. I think Ms Kelly should introduce one-to-one tuition for staff to remind them of their responsibilities and why they chose their vocation.

David Rhodes, Ashton House, Croscombe Walk, Bradford.

Unfair to the NHS

SIR - Brian Holmans' letter (T&A, October 22) was a welcome endorsement of the great work performed by the NHS.

Mike Priestley's constant carping at the NHS is becoming so predictable and tiresome. I enjoyed his bit of back-pedalling in response to Mr Holmans' letter.

Also in the same issue, I noted David Herdson's gripe about the shortage of the flu vaccine. Perhaps David could inform us if in fact it was the government to blame or could it be that some practices failed to order sufficient stocks?

I don't know, but I'm sure David Herdson will be able to tell us.

Like Mike Priestley, floundering Tories will use any excuse to knock the NHS. We can guess what might be in store if ever they regained power.

I wonder if David Cameron, looking likely to be the next Tory leader, has had occasion to use the NHS much. Toffs usually use the private sector.

Robert Hughes, Manor Gardens, Cullingworth.

Doing their best

SIR - I believe that the October 13 letter from Karl Dallas is misleading and sends out the wrong messages.

Doesn't he think that social services, and probation officers, haven't explored every avenue and spent thousands of taxpayers' money to try and teach this boy the errors of his ways?

Yes they have given him a custodial sentence, but he won't be going to prison. He is in custody, where he rightly belongs, and the people who can help him will have access 24/7 to try and make him see sense.

Our "Asbo-obsessed society" are doing their best to ensure that people like you and me can one day live free of yobs, drunks, vandals, robbers and, yes, arsonists.

What I also find disturbing about Mr Dallas's letter is when he says "everyone knows children love playing with fire".

Well I was young, I didn't know one child who liked playing with fire.

We have to try and combat what's happening on our estates and in our town centres, and I reckon that Asbos and CPSOs are a step in the right direction.

Geoff Tasker, Park Road, Low Moor.

Plea for courtesy

SIR - I remember standing in St Mark's Square in Venice thinking what a tragedy it would be if global warming caused such a beautiful place to be flooded.

I remember the Forum in Rome and mentally thanking the drainage engineers whose foresight had prevented such an historical site from flooding.

Of course water can enhance a location, but there are times when it can have the opposite effect.

Let us look at the current situation surrounding the City Hall. The public open space to the front is proving its worth this very week.

Meanwhile, the shrubs, trees and grassed areas to the rear are just as much a visitor attraction as any artificial lake.

Our 'visionary' team in the Eighties tried to see beyond the mundane within the financial limits that applied at that time. The West End scheme fell to Council incompetence, although others were more successful.

The work we did to kick-start Little Germany is now drawing to a close with the Gateway project and Eastbrook Hall being the final pieces in the jigsaw.

I also remember doing a feasibility study for the re-opening of the Bradford canal long before Will Alsop came on the scene. I don't know what Leslie Dobson (T&A, October 21) does for a living, but I wouldn't dream of telling her how to do it. All I ask is for her to extend me the same courtesy.

Eddie Bennett, Duchy Drive, Heaton.

SIR - Let me congratulate the MP for Airdrie & Shotts, former Health Minister John Reid, upon his ability to shift his stance with that super-rich legacy he possesses - two votes.

I could almost see the statue of William Wallace take a wobble wondering how much 'English Silver' it took to 'turn' this Scot.

In Scotland Dr Reid (pictured) is with those who will have a total ban on smoking but in Westminster he is with those against it. The English Democrat party will rightly put his head on a platter and benefit their membership.

Gary Lorriman, North Walk, Harden.