Why don’t any of Yorkshire’s private schools play Rugby League? - Yorkshire Post Letters

Your two page feature on the alleged implications of the ending of certain tax advantages enjoyed by private schools (YP, July 19) might have acknowledged that, long before the election of the current Government, it has been common knowledge that a number in Yorkshire have been struggling for a while. The VAT issue has become a convenient scapegoat for closures that were inevitable.

I was particularly amused to read Conservative Peer, Lord Caine's, musings on the issue. Bearing in mind that he is at the moment serving on a strategic review of the sport of Rugby League, I just wondered how he squares his support for private schools with the fact that not one of them in Yorkshire or further afield plays the 13-a-side code.

Some would suggest that this is wholly down to a longstanding culture of snobbery and elitism within private education. I would be interested to learn Lord Caine's explanation.