Letter: Parental choice may swamp good schools

Sir: A Saturday editorial (5 February) repeats the half-truth that problems of school indiscipline and truancy can be met by more interesting and relevant teaching. The truth's other half is that firstly, pupils may lack the maturity to know what teaching is relevant to their needs, and secondly, there remains a hard core of pupils who want to disrupt lessons regardless of how carefully they are prepared.

Schools are meant to prepare pupils for their future life. In the adult world, misdemeanours are punished. Teachers would be glad to prepare pupils for this principle, but unfortunately the rights culture has removed virtually all effective disciplinary sanctions from their control.

FRANCIS ROADS

London E18