I would like to address some of the concerns raised in your article on school places (“Admissions of defeat as parent power puts places at a premium”, July 3).

The Bristol primary review, which recommended the expansion of 19 schools, the amalgamation of seven and the closure of two, is far from short-sighted. It provides a long-term strategy for provision of primary education in the city.

There are also proposals for building and rebuilding schools, as well as expanding small schools with high demand.

The two schools recommended for closure have a surplus of places of 25 per cent. In an urban setting, there have to be very powerful reasons to maintain schools that are smaller than one-form entry.

Clare Campion-Smith, Cabinet member for children and young people, Bristol.