Your correspondent was wrong. It does not make “sense on paper” to give primary PGCE students an extra six weeks in school (“Caught on the hop by six weeks’ extra teaching time”, 9 March). There is no virtue in extending the time spent in schools unless really high-quality provision is available and unless there is sufficient time back in college to enable students to study and reflect on educational principles, values, subject content and methods. It has always been impossible to provide properly for the professional preparation of primary teachers in a course lasting under a year. It will be still more impossible if even less time is spent in college.

Colin Richards, Spark Bridge, Cumbria.