I was interested to read Hilary Wilce’s article on the information provided by schools (TES, September 27). I suspect she was referring to secondary schools, but the same imperatives (both statutory and competitive) apply to primaries.
Every year I design and produce the prospectus for one such school, a small local primary that has the same obligation to inform and the same need to attract as larger, richer establishments. I have no direct connection with the school, but as a small local business I provide this service free of charge, as do the many others - parents, governors and associates - who freely give their time, expertise and resources.
I do not know what the total cost of these services would be, but at normal market rates my fees alone would far exceed the school’s budget for the task.
Hilary Wilce should reflect that in many schools the resources (not just money, but energy, creativity, commitment) that are devoted to this function, are necessarily taken from those that go into fundamental education. She should also consider that, for the majority of families who are less mobile than her own, the primary source of information remains the views and opinions of their friends and neighbours, who do not choose their children’s schools by means of an exercise in textual analysis.
JOHN CRISP LINC Languages 2 The Street Mortimer Berkshire
