T A L K B A C K

From John Izbicki

Madam: The main message contained in "Will your results have the right vintage?", (Independent, 1 June) was that the binary line, which took a quarter of a century to remove, continues to linger in the minds of some employers and - though it was not mentioned - a proportion of teachers, particularly those in the independent sector. Graduates spawned by Oxbridge and the "older" universities will receive preferential treatment as long as schools insist on pushing sixth-formers in their direction while mentioning the "new" universities as a fallback.

Increasing numbers of school-leavers are, however, opting for the latter as a first choice, mainly because their courses are better tailored to students' and employers' needs.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN IZBICKI

Director of Public Affairs

University of North London

London N7

From Margaret Lochrie

Madam: To suggest that the future of nursery education may lie solely in large-scale centres ("Kentucky fried chicken nurseries arrive", 1 June) with the demise of community-based provision is misguided.

Kindercare is reported to be considering 50 more centres in the next five years each offering 100 places. This would hardly meet the huge demand for day care and early learning.

Pre-schools (formerly playgroups) have been giving children a good start for over 30 years. Their work requires only proper funding to build on what has already been achieved.

Yours sincerely,

MARGARET LOCHRIE

Chief Executive Officer

Pre-School Learning Alliance

London

Please send your letters to the Education Editor, the Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5DL (fax 0171-293 2056), enclosing a daytime phone number.