SIR – I rarely comment on matters educational, but as an ex-headteacher of a Bradford secondary school, I am prompted to respond to the unhelpful comments made by Lord Nash.

We don’t need the uninformed opinions of a non-elected recent member of the House of Lords, possibly made a peer because of his contributions to the Conservative Party. He may be an Oxford-educated lawyer turned venture capitalist, but he doesn’t understand a basic mathematical concept. He condemns Bradford because the results are below the national average without realising that by definition someone has to be. We can’t all be above average.

Keith Thomson, Heights Lane, Bradford