I have known Miss Thumwood professionally for many years - the best interests of her charges were her greatest concern. She does not work under the name Messom, her married name, which she is entitled to use. I also find it difficult to believe that a successful head is going to throw it all away when she herself is within a year or so of retirement.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to believe is that a head of her intelligence would cheat by altering a few mental arithmetic scripts by just one or two marks which made no difference to her school’s league table position.

Finally, I understand that examination of the papers by an expert suggested that the handwriting was most unlikely to be that of Miss Thumwood.

Margaret Pond Retired head 45, Wentworth Park Finchley, London N3.