Gerard Kelly’s editorial on 16 March (“Schools aren’t at fault, but nor are they off the hook”) asked teachers to be part of the solution and not to “dump” young people in difficult situations. Why, then, do providers of alternative education and support services rarely get any information about the young people they are expected to work with? Nor do teachers turn up to watch them present their work. All too often pupils are “dumped” - and they know it. But when they feel cared for, they respond in kind. When many Bristol schools were shut by snow last year, almost all of those “dumped” young people turned up to our courses.

Sandy Hore-Ruthven, Chief executive, Creative Youth Network.