* I was delighted to read (“Unhappy Smile”, Letters, TES, August 18) of the demise of Smile mathematics. Slavish use of the Smile card-based scheme in the nineties undermined the numeracy of two of my sons. Both suffered the loneliness of the long-distance work card until the more fortunate one was taken off it by a teacher who recognised how badly it was failing him.
Maybe more recent resources are inspired; but I hope the cards are buried where the sun never shines.
John Stringer
Wren House
Stoneleigh Park
Warwickshire
