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Thanks, musical lovers

ALTHOUGH a bit late I would very much like to say a huge thank you to all the people who participated in helping us raise over £700 for the Wyvern Foundation over the period of three days that the Summer Youth Project of Grease was on.

We held raffles and bucket collections and also we were very kindly given donations after the show. We couldn’t have raised this amount without the wonderful support of the public.

It was, as usual, a wonderful event and I am very proud to be on the committee which helps raise money every year to help towards bursaries.

Over the last eight years we have raised enough to help about 50 bursaries, so that is truly wonderful.

Thank you to everyone who have supported us and a special thank you to Mrs Ray who kindly donates a lovely amount after each summer event.

Also thank you to these young actors, who are amazing. Well done and we hope you will carry on with your wonderful talents.

JUNE WELLER

Wyvern Foundation treasurer

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Service cuts no shock

I ALWAYS read with interest the local Lib Dem news updates in their Eastcott Focus newsletter.

Their latest one, which I received last week caught my eye, their headline was, “SHOCK, as council to stop cleaning streets and cutting grass.”

I don’t know about the streets of councillors Dave Wood and Stan Pajak (who are excellent councillors, I may add) but my street hasn’t been cleaned in a very long time. It’s no fault of Swindon Council’s cleansing department, it’s more the fault of cuts to service implemented by David Renard.

When these above-mentioned services are handed over to parish councils as they will, likewise other services now being undertaken by SBC will by stealth also be passed over to parish councils.

In doing so, will it mean a cut in the current number of councillors?

And will the position as head of Swindon Council, currently overseen by Mr Renard, also come into question?

MARK WEBB

Old Town, Swindon

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Schools plan misjudged

NORMALLY, politicians in this country leak e-mails, allow documents to be overseen and use “sources close to,” as a way of gauging the public’s view on a topic.

After some time, a policy announcement is made. Things must be desperate in the Government’s Brexit talks, hence their hasty and ill thought out green paper on education as a distraction.

It wasn’t even in their manifesto at the General Election. Not once in the numerous interviews for the media did headmistress May nor head girl Greening mention comprehensive schools, which most secondary pupils attend.

These schools are the true leaders in meritocratic education: Pupils can rise according to their talents, whenever they mature. The Tory plans, for selection at 11, 14 and 16 will effectively destroy the local comprehensive school.

Repeatedly, the question of how can choice be squared with selection was put to the head, but apart from becoming annoyed, there was no answer. This is because there isn’t one. Parents may want their child to attend a school for clever children, but if their child fails the exam, then there is no choice, they cannot go there.

The education reforms advocated by the Tories are based on the false premise that comprehensive education does not work. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest the opposite.

To make all such schools “good”, then the Conservatives should support teachers, by not denigrating them whenever they have the chance, and by improving funding for all schools.

Of course, we all know how it will pan out in Swindon. The two, as yet not started but given permission schools, will, as new “free” schools become the home to those who pass the 11plus, 14plus and 16plus exams. The remaining secondary schools, deprived of top talented pupils, denied funding and suffering from the teacher shortage, will be allowed to wither on the vine.

The chief inspector of schools has said that we need to increase the percentage of children doing well and we will fail as a nation if we do not rise to that challenge. Perhaps our two MPs could use their weekly columns to explain, not in Tory office speak, how they see destruction of the town’s comprehensive schools is rising to meet that challenge.

BOB PIXTON

Liden