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Now in retirement after together working for over 60 years for Wiltshire schools, we were concerned to read of the county's proposal to merge Urchfont and Upavon schools.

The timetable for interested parties to consider and respond may be legal but is absurdly short. Notice of the only public meeting with an education officer and the governors was not, as you reported, distributed to the village.

At a parish council meeting on May 6 the public can discuss the proposal but their views must be with the governors for their meeting two days later.

The ultimate responsibility for Upavon's plight lies with Wiltshire County Council. Prior to the 2005 Ofsted report they knew of the school's decline yet their response was inadequate. Excuses about staffing problems obscure a failure to give 100 per cent commitment to rebuild a struggling school. It was unreasonable to expect a head to turn around this establishment and teach at the same time. Now in 2008 Ofsted have given the county a loaded gun. This proposal is their response. They want Urchfont to extract them from the hole they have dug themselves into. At what risk to the children of Urchfont?

The proposal states "it will help the children of Urchfont to improve standards further". A return to Beacon Status with a part-time head? I think not.

Assistant director Stephanie Donovan may have known the Urchfont head for many years but this amalgamation does not centre round one person.

A school in special measures requires full-time commitment. It would be folly to transfer the Urchfont model to Upavon.

There are indications that funds are available for a new' Urchfont school. Supporters of the school and the governors must balance pieces of silver against what is the considerable risk to the children for whom they are responsible.

Cairns and Jan Langlands, The Green, Urchfont

3:08pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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