I would like to express my wholehearted agreement with Joe Nutt’s frustrations in his article “Teachers cannot mend the crippled limbs of society. Sorry, Ofsted” (17 February). Parental contribution is incredibly important and has been neglected by the government despite the fact that poor schooling is only said to be a factor in low achievement in a minority of circumstances (see, for example, Cassen and Kingdon’s research from 2007).

As a PGCE student, it’s fair to say that I’ve been shocked by the lack of motivation and bad attitudes of many children. As a consequence, I am focusing my job search in the international schools sector (note taken from your cover story on 24 February of schools to avoid in Qatar and Spain).

Sarah Morris, Ratby, Leicester.