I’ve just read Anthony Seldon’s article (“Why can’t we be one big happy family?”, 16 March). I was reminded of a TV programme in which John Humphrys visited Wellington College. At one point, Humphrys said: “You have the best teachers.” What he should have said was: “You have the easiest students to teach.”
I would love to see a “failing” teacher in a difficult comprehensive exchanging with an “outstanding” private school teacher. The latter would struggle with control while the comprehensive teacher would soon realise it was not going to be a problem. Who would then be “outstanding”, and who “failing”?
Private school staff like Seldon have no idea what it’s like to work in a comprehensive. He can create as many academies as he wants, but they’ll never truly reflect the comprehensive system.
Mike Rath, Barnstaple, Devon.