I read with interest the article “Small lapses, big disasters: the theory of planes, aims and gains” (March 13), but was concerned to see the accidental omission of the report’s title and authors.

The research referred to is a report published in September 2008 by CfBT Education Trust: Improving Secondary Students’ Academic Achievement Through a Focus on Reform Reliability by Sam Stringfield, David Reynolds and Eugene C Schaffer. In that report, we demonstrated that the characteristics of high reliability organisations, such as air traffic control towers or nuclear power stations, can be applied to shape whole school reform. The research shows that a group of schools in Wales, that have followed this model since 1996, have made a substantial and sustainable gain in academic achievement.

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Tony McAleavy, Education director, CfBT Education Trust.