Letter: Ballet schools fail to face their problem

Sir: Joan Brady's article on The Royal Ballet School is strangely written. It was attempting to destroy the reputation of the school which is judged to be one of the finest in the world. Her views, in the main, were drawn from the recent industrial tribunal case brought by Linda Goss, which resulted in a judgment against the school because her redundancy was not handled correctly on technical procedural grounds. The rest of her allegations were dismissed by the tribunal.

Those wanting to judge the success of the school's training should have been at the Royal Opera House on 1 July - or at Holland Park Theatre this week. Indeed, at the Opera House's final performance, former pupils of the school, now some of the brightest stars in the international ballet world, performed to great acclaim. World-class teachers have nurtured this special talent and they deeply resent some of the implications made by Linda Goss.

This is a dynamic, vital institution, where the cream of today's talented young dance students are making something worthwhile of their lives, with the help of dedicated teachers. It's easy to knock the best - but it's not worthy of a caring teacher like Linda Goss. Her remarks damage those whom she seeks to serve - the students themselves.

Lord STERLING

Chairman of Governors

The Royal Ballet School

London W14