Letters to the Editor

While a multi-racial environment for our children during their formative years is welcomed, the bias in some schools leans towards the religious and traditional teachings of the majority.

The children trapped in this situation go through school life with little or no possibility of relating to their counterparts, and the risk of being the subject of intimidation is obviously magnified.

Why the people in charge of education allow schools to reach such a high dominance of one race over another escapes me. The cries from all sides that we all must learn to integrate seems to fall on stony ground. We may as well elect to divide into single-race schools and let ghettos exist within our city. Or are we at that point already?

I am all for racial equality for all. Perhaps this could be a reality if our children grow up with the advantage of a multi-racial society in the first instance - starting from their first day at nursery.

Glen Cunliffe, Rathmell Street, Bankfoot.

SIR - I find it difficult to understand the logic behind the proposed closure of seven primary schools in Bradford.

I am a father of two boys in secondary education and have a daughter in primary school. The youngest of my sons was embroiled in the changeover from a three-tier to a two-tier education system, and in my opinion, wasted two years of his schooling.

Now I find my daughter, who attends Thorpe Primary in Idle, is also being threatened with an education setback.

Undoubtedly, my daughter has benefited greatly from being taught in a small-class environment. After only one year in reception, all of the pupils are at least 12 months ahead of their curriculum schedule.

The decision to close these schools is purely budget-based. A previous projection of future pupil numbers was considered inaccurate. I would like to dispute that decision. The number of new homes being built in Bradford must surely mean an increase in numbers of children requiring an education.

If Bradford is seriously bidding to become the European Capital of Culture, it must keep all these schools open, employ more teachers and give the children of Bradford the standard of education they deserve!

P Gough, Outlands Rise, Apperley Bridge.

SIR - The first two letters on October 7 told the horrific story of what is happening in Britain today: the vandalism at the church and the 11-year-old badly hurt at school. Most of these problems could be solved very quickly indeed if we reverted to the wonderful deterrent in use in my childhood and for centuries before.

It is called corporal punishment. It worked (as I remember very well). We would have to use rather a lot of it at first but then it would decline as these children learned, as I did, that the easy way to avoid a very uncomfortable behind is to BEHAVE.

My mother was a saint but if we really misbehaved badly, out came that cane which was applied with vigour. I skipped school once...but only once because she found out. My mother was not a child abuser. She was a wonderful woman who knew better than we did.

I brought up four girls and while all of them were generally well behaved there was a deterrent factor which kept it that way. They all knew never to go beyond the limits.

Mrs Kate Embling, The Cobbins, Burnham on Crouch, Essex.

SIR - Councillor Thomson's letter regarding Kelda's involvement with the renewable energy plant at Arbre omits some fundamental important points in pursuit of a thin argument.

To date, Kelda has invested in excess of £30 million in the Arbre plant, an investment which has considerably taken forward the progress of this type of experimental technology. We had long ago decided that the project had the best chance of being brought to fruition if it were a company specialising in renewable energy.

Hence, in the spring of this year we concluded a deal whereby Arbre was sold to Energy Power Resources Ltd who are known as the country's leading experts in all forms of renewable energy.

It seems clear to us that this was the most appropriate company to take forward our investment.

In July of this year we chose to exercise our right under the contract to cease further support. It was clearly open to others involved in the project to invest further in it, but it was their choice not to. From a Kelda perspective, having invested in excess of £30 million and received no return for this then clearly we had to say enough was enough.

We would be delighted if the consortia backed by MEP David Bowe and MP John Grogan came to fruition and we wish them all success. Clearly, we would prefer it if our £30 million investment has some positive result to it, and we wish them well for the future.

Richard Emmott, Head of Communications, Kelda Group plc, Halifax Road, Bradford 6.

SIR - I fail to see what the problem is with A-level examinations. The International Baccalaureate is the answer but just as a matter of interest, is this not what I was presented with when I left Belle Vue College of Knowledge back in 1953?

It was, of course, called something quite different but it was the second year of GCE (you still got marks!) and the School Certificate was the last of its kind.

I remember that about a dozen of us went for an interview for a job as woolsorter and all of us were awaiting GCE results but one individual had one from the previous year, in History, and HE got the job!

If the employer had only waited a couple of weeks he could have had a person of intelligence!

Phil Boase, Elizabeth Street, Wyke.

SIR - Olwen Vasey's article "Fears for future of dementia sufferer" highlighted the sorry plight of people like Ellen Durkin (T&A, September 4).

It is my view that social services departments attached to the local authority should not be responsible for people who suffer from dementia. These people are ill, not "just" old. Neither residential homes nor nursing homes are suitably staffed to care for people with advanced dementing illnesses.

"Dementia" is not a particular illness. It is the name given to signs and symptoms caused by neurological diseases. Some are treatable but 50 per cent of people with dementia have Alzheimer's Disease which is incurable.

The elderly who suffer from a dementing illness should be nursed in a special home for the mentally-infirm.

These homes should be the responsibility of the NHS and staffed by people qualified in mental health.

Local authority homes, or indeed private care homes, are not equipped to provide care by registered mental nurses.

I firmly believe that local authorities who accept responsibility for people in the advanced stage of a dementing illness are taking on powers that they are not expected to do under the current legislation.

Mrs Margaret Harrison, Brownhill Road, Birstall.

SIR - May I, through your column, express my sincere thanks to all the thousands of people in the Bradford area who held or attended a World's Biggest Coffee Morning event to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Relief on September 27. We were delighted with the response.

Fundraising is fun, but it's rewarding too, especially when you know that even more local people with cancer and their families will be able to benefit from the care and expertise of Macmillan specialists.

If you enjoyed the coffee morning and feel you would like to learn more about how to get involved in similar events, please get in touch with me at our local appeal office on (01274) 365905. I would love to hear from you.

Michelle Norcliffe, Appeal Manager, Macmillan Cancer Relief, St Luke's Hospital, Bradford.

SIR - A T&A report says hopes are high for a new swimming pool for our community. That is indeed great news but the site has yet to be decided. Your report says it should be in easy reach of the village, but in the next paragraph you say it should be an easy bus ride from the city centre to make it accessible to more people. Why?

There is a pool at the University which can be used by the public, there are pools at Drummond Road, Queensbury and Rhodesway School which leaves Thornton being the most needy.

Come on planners, use some common sense and give us back our much-needed facility.

Mrs M T Walbran, Firth Street, Thornton.