The chairman of education for Gloucestershire claims (TES, Letters, October 4) that the county is “maximising spending on schools”.

The evidence is to the contrary. In 1995-96, its top slice was nearly 21 per cent of the education standard spending assessment. That is the fifth highest of the 22 local education authorities, shire and metropolitan, in which the Common Funding Formula was used to distribute money to grant-maintained secondary schools (source: Parliamentary Answers, April 3 and 19 1996). In Wiltshire and Essex, the figures were 16 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

These figures have only recently become available in this transparent form. If Gloucestershire has achieved a better place in the league table for this year, not only would I be pleased to hear of it, but I am sure that Gloucestershire schools would be pleased to benefit from it.

ANDREW TURNER Director, Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation, 36 Great Smith Street, London SW1.