I write to say how horrified my colleagues and I are that up to pound;500,000 has been taken from our learning support funding.

Warwickshire College has been lauded for its excellent student support and particularly rated in our last Ofsted inspection. I have been immensely proud that so many of my students have had the dedicated care and one-to- one sessions with learning support that have allowed them to grow in confidence and make wonderful achievements.

On some of our campuses, the service now being provided is a shadow of what we previously offered.

In a time when lecturers have to work increasingly hard, long hours in a job where their commitment is increasingly tested because of the funding system, what will be the effect of this added pressure?

If we are encouraged to have larger and larger classes to ensure the correct level of funding, how will our students with some level of learning difficulty - from bad grammar to dyslexia - manage to achieve without excellent support?

I have spoken to Ioan Morgan, our principal, who is equally disturbed by the removal of this funding.

How can we continue to support our students and give them what they came to us for - education, confidence, achievement and success?

Philippa Gratton, Business lecturer, Warwickshire College, Leamington Spa.