Saturday's Letters: Ofsted comments 'unhelpful' over better teaching

The essence of education is the relationship which exists between teacher and pupil with the onus being on how well the teacher really understands the strengths, weaknesses and difficulties each child has – an enormous, almost impossible task with mixed abilities further complicated by any emotional, behavioural or personality issues in some difficult children.

I find the comments from Ofsted quite unhelpful in this regard when making a bland statement that many special needs children need better teaching. There is a climate of fear of litigation affecting teachers, police, social workers, doctors and speech therapists. Children with problems require dedicated teachers to stay at a school and be a tower of strength and inspiration.

At the root of the problem is the cost of giving either small group teaching or individual help where required. There was more than a hint that the Warnock Report in the 1970s hoped to close all special schools and educate special needs children in normal schools (I was made aware of this while studying for a degree at university in the 1970s by a lecturer who was on the Warnock Committee).

Much marvellous work is being done by charities for blind, deaf and handicapped children and the terminally ill. Much more could be done and credit must be given to the thousands of working class people who raise money for various appeals despite the frustration of seeing money being wasted and many affluent people intent on retaining their "lifestyle" despite the recession. Good, caring parents really should have better support.

About 100,000 under-16s run away from home every year – one in six sleep rough and one in 12 is hurt or harmed – and they are escaping from home rather than school. These poor children have severe problems before teaching can begin. What advice has Ofsted to offer? What has working in a "failing" environment to offer teachers?

From: JW Slack, Swinston Hill Road, Dinnington, Sheffield.

Counting the benefits of Pope's visit

From: Andrew Charles, Park Drive, Horsforth, Leeds.

I AM obliged to comment to the letters from Charles Anderson and DE Warne (Yorkshire Post, September 22) regarding the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK.

I understand that the Pope was invited, as opposed to just turning up, and therefore presumably Mr Anderson needs to direct his question to the person(s) extending that invite – presumably the Queen.

The pastoral element was paid for by the Catholic Church while the state element was paid for by the state. I have no doubt that there are many traders in the UK – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who benefited from the visit.

I can immediately think of manufacturers and purveyors of Popemobilia for a start, together with coach and travel firms. These traders are probably very grateful of the business in these difficult times. The visit thus creates an economic benefit in this country in itself without reliance on tourists from the Vatican state.

There appears to be a general angst that public money should not have been used for the state part of the visit. On the basis that there are approximately five million Catholics in this country, of whom a reasonable proportion must be taxpayers, then I suggest the cost per capita basis must be relatively small.

That is unless Catholics are exempt from tax in which case the argument must hold good.

In those circumstances, I will be contacting HM Revenue & Customs with immediate effect for a refund which I am sure will delight Messrs Warne and Anderson. There are many sums spent by the Treasury on causes which are distinctly at odds to the Catholic Church in this country and yet I see no such letters from Catholic writers condemning such or demanding such institutions must pay their costs out of non-Catholic tax payments. I think it is called the rule of law and democracy.

Mr Warne presumes that the Pope's visit was only of interest to practising Catholics. Mr Fincham's letter of the same date destroys that presumption.

Memories of a sporting hero

From: David Wood, Turnpike Lane, Bickerton, Wetherby.

YOUR photograph of Sir Leonard Hutton (From The Archive, Yorkshire Post, September 13) recalls memories of my cricketing hero.

In 1948, I was a 13-year-old schoolboy and Len Hutton was my uncle's neighbour. He generously gave my uncle some tickets which enabled me to watch him play in the Test match against the Australians at Headingley.

The other three cricketers in your photograph, Evans, Bedser and Compton, all played in that game.

Five years later, having passed my driving test, my uncle asked me to return Hutton's generosity by taking his car to Bradford for its annual

service. My hero handed me the keys to his Vauxhall Wyvern and asked me to return it to him at the Headingley Cricket Ground.

Later that day, I proudly drove the car to Leeds but on approaching the players' entrance at Headingley I was stopped by a Yorkshire official, who shouted: "Nay lad, tha' can't cum in 'ere wi' that."

When I explained I was returning Hutton's car, the burly official jumped to attention, saluted and waived me through. On returning the car keys, my hero thanked me and shook my hand which I have not washed since!

Some years ago, I was given a hardback copy of one of the two books written by Sir Leonard Hutton which was recovered from a house clearance in North Yorkshire. This book is entitled Just My Story and on the inside cover he has written: "To Fireball Dans who taught me all I know." Could any of your readers help identify this person who enabled my hero to become arguably the greatest batsman in the history of cricket?

Let down by Royal Mail

From: James A Wilson, Sandmoor Close, Hull.

THE Royal Mail will be wanting our support in opposition to the Government plans. They will not get my vote.

Recently, I was out when the postman brought a packet to the house. He left the usual card.

This gave me two options apart from going to the delivery office: telephoning or using the internet. I do not have the internet and so I telephoned.

Every time there was an automated voice which told me that they were very busy and then explained how to use the internet.

I held on but each time was cut off after about 10 seconds.

I, therefore, went the four miles on the bus to town and walked the mile from the city centre to the delivery office.

When I told the man who attended to me of my difficulties on the telephone, he said that I could have written on the card the date that I wanted the packet delivered, allowing two days and put the card in a letterbox without a stamp.

I did not ask him why the card did not say this. He is not a highly paid person at the top who decides these matters.

This always used to be an option with the fact stated on the card.

I am 82 and not disabled, but I wondered how a disabled person would have coped?

Sending out a clear message that the Ridings live on

From: Hilary E Holt, Executive Committee, Yorkshire Ridings Society, Fenwick Lane, Fenwick, West Riding of Yorkshire.

MAY I reply to Peter Hyde's letter about the use of North and South Humberside in postal addresses (Yorkshire Post, September 10).

Any form of county is acceptable to the Post Office:

Traditional geographical – as in West Riding of Yorkshire;

Administration area – as in North Yorkshire;

Area of an abolished administration – as in Cleveland, South Yorkshire, Humberside;

Area of an abolished "postal county" invented by the Post Office – as in North and South Humberside.

Many businesses use old mailing lists and some are still using old stationery.

The good news is that the Post Office has discontinued the use of counties and will discontinue its supply of county information.

Eventually, the muddle of abolished administration and postal areas will fade into a footnote of history.

Should anyone require county information, the Yorkshire Ridings Society can supply it.

Also available is the comprehensive gazetteer compiled by the Association of British Counties and available through their website.

Yorkshire of the Three Ridings has never been abolished and is now in its 1,135th year. The only permanent counties are the traditional geographical ones.

From: Leslie Merritt, Kings Mill Park, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

I SHARE Peter Hyde's annoyance regarding North Humberside being used in our addresses. It is particularly exasperating when an addressee, such as a building society, has been given one's preferred address and they change it to include the hated name, as usually happens.

I have seen correspondence between someone and the Post Office on this subject, the Post Office's reply being that they do not list county names on their postcode address file.

Despite them saying this three times, this does not say to me that the inclusion of North Humberside in the computer system was not at their instigation, as I would have expected it to have been. Someone must have been responsible, so surely someone is able to amend it?

Bond with real interest

From: Paul Rouse, Main Street, Sutton upon Derwent, York.

WE have consumer savings in the UK of 4,000bn, much of which is chasing interest rates of two or three per cent. At the same time, our Government is paying large financial institutions seven per cent interest on a national debt of 1,000bn.

Would it not make more sense to offer a rolling five-year bond at five per cent to savers? This would not only effectively eliminate the debt, but consumers would pay tax on the interest, and spend the balance within the economy.

It would also save 20bn each year in interest with which

we can reduce the overall spending deficit.

Lib Dems' 57 varieties

From: Terry Palmer, South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley.

THE Lib Dem rabble posing as Government Ministers are pathetic. It is time the British people woke up to the fact that these "traitors" to their own cause are in government under false pretences. Forget all the hype regarding how they are "helping to save Britain" when all they are doing is helping the "nasty" party save themselves.

After all, how many MPs do the Lib Dems have? A paltry 57 as opposed to the Tories on 305 and Labour on 256. These 57 MPs certainly do not represent me.

From: Dai Woosnam, Woodrow Park, Grimsby.

SO, Government Minister Vince Cable calls bankers "spivs and gamblers".

Coming from a British MP – a body of people who have brought shame on the whole country, let alone just on the Palace of Westminster – I

reckon that is chutzpah, par excellence.

Pay discord for many more

From: K Walker, Scarborough.

I AM sure Chris Moyles has a very substantial salary from

the BBC (Yorkshire Post, September 23).

Perhaps he should spare a thought for those of us who, through no fault of our own, have lost jobs through redundancies and general

cuts. Not receiving pay for three months hardly puts him on the breadline on his wages.

However, he was pointing out a principle and, sadly, doing his dirty washing on air at our expense.