Holland Park School deserves congratulation (“Because they’re worth it”, 2 November). That the bill was covered by a land sale that also paid for social housing and refurbished another school is beside the point. Why is it considered profligate to build schools that match the best offices, cultural centres and hospitals? Personally, I don’t have a problem seeing #163;80 million of taxpayers’ money spent on schools like this, when the alternative is a third of a Eurofighter Typhoon, a few days’ worth of military operations in Afghanistan, or 0.3 per cent of the #163;26.3 billion wasted on failed government IT projects in 2000-10.

Ben Gibbs, Ely, Cambridgeshire.