I find the tone of both letters from my Liverpool colleagues regarding Ofsted’s monitoring of sexual orientation rather dubious to say the least (14 October).

If their criticism is against an Ofsted “tick-box” culture, that is one thing; if they are disparaging the very real need to monitor homophobic bullying and to create an ethos and culture in any school which accepts and celebrates difference, that is entirely another. It is surely no bad thing that Ofsted is officially asking schools to address the final taboo of homophobia, albeit perhaps in a clumsy “bean counting” manner.

Carol Machell, Primary headteacher, Liverpool.