Picking up on both your headline about “failing” primary schools and your appraisals of Ed Balls’ record (“Last Balls of the day?”, May 7), wouldn’t it be nice if the next Schools Secretary started her or his first speech with something like: “I will work shoulder to shoulder with the hard working and expert teachers of this country to work out what really works and what doesn’t, both in terms of their pupils’ attainment and their own job satisfaction.”

Could be a refreshing change from: “I shall not hesitate to challenge any schoolteacherheadteacher that is failing ... ”.

Nick Nuttgens, Creative education consultant, Sheffield.