HURWORTH SCHOOL - How sad to read the headlines in your newspaper this morning. My son, who attends the school along with his elder sister, came rushing in from his paper round with a copy for us to read.

We as a family are devastated by this news but not entirely surprised.

After the so-called Federation with Eastbourne School and Mr Farrar leaving his headship at Hurworth, we knew that the prospect of Hurworth closing was to be expected.

Mr Farrar had built up the school to very high standards which have been followed by another excellent head, Mr Judson.

Why do we need to change things that have worked well for Hurworth? Why close a school which has such high exam results? Also, having had quite a lot of funds recently spent extending the school buildings, why can't we have some funds spent on Hurworth in the location it is now? Send the pupils from Eastbourne to the wonderful new school at Haughton.

Since sending our two children to Hurworth, my partner and I haven't looked back. They are both good students and are expected to gain all their GCSEs with very high grades.

What prospects will there be for my nine-year-old who we were hoping would attend Hurworth in two years time? If these proposals are carried through, what will be his chances of gaining a good education like his brother and sister?

Please leave Hurworth as it is and close another school or spend the £20m on extending and improving a wonderful school, Hurworth. - Teresa Merriott, Darlington.

I FEEL compelled to write to you about the proposed school closures.

Although it does not affect my children directly, I am appalled that Darlington Borough Council is going to do this. I am in favour of a modern school for the children in Darlington, but to close a top performing school is very wrong.

The fact that they are amalgamating two very different schools is also very wrong. Eastbourne was until recently in special measures, while Hurworth had one of the top performing results in GCSEs.

Also, the fact that they are intending to build the new school at the top of Yarm Road and call it Hurworth is very insulting, but again as we have seen on previous occasions, Darlington Borough Council will most probably do as it pleases because it is all about money and not our children's education.

On a separate note, I have also got to say that the treatment of Karen Pemberton who helped bring Eastbourne out of the special measures is appalling and the authority never deserved to have the dedication of someone like her at all. - Allison Lowe, Darlington.

BEFORE retirement I was a teacher for more than 40 years (27 of them as headteacher) and have been a member of the Labour Party for some years.

You will be hearing from me further when I get organised but, after reading your article on the above proposal, I cancelled my direct debit for membership of the Labour Party as I do not wish to be associated with such educational vandals.

The whole affair makes me feel ashamed to have been a teacher.

Can you ask the council if it intends to sell the present Hurworth school to a housing developer? - HC Bullock, Hurworth.

I SHOULD be pleased if you would put the following questions to the councillors and officers of the LEA as well as the constituency MP.

Why does the LEA want to close the town's most successful school?

What evidence is there that a new school will maintain the academic attainment of Hurworth?

Why not identify why Hurworth is so successful and replicate it?

If Hurworth becomes, as planned, the school improvement service, how will the LEA improve the new school if (when) it fails?

Why are public servants developing political proposals, ie the closure of Hurworth?

Which school is next? Branksome?

Is there any evidence that new schools achieve success? Perhaps the city academy in Middlesbrough is a model the Darlington LEA wish to emulate.

How does the constituency MP, Mr Blair, feel about the plans to close one of the 'top 40' schools nationally? How will he respond to the concerns of his constituents? 'Education, Education Education' or 'cost, savings and political convenience'?

Why are the schools in Darlington so poorly maintained?

Whatever happened to consultation?

What will happen to the land at Hurworth? Given the recent developments at Hurworth, why not rebuild on Hurworth? Has the LEA valued the land, say with planning approval for housing?

How many people with children at Hurworth have been involved or consulted?

Given the suspension of the head at Eastbourne, is the federation with Hurworth the successful model to be developed in a new school? - Martin Phillips, Darlington.

* The Northern Echo will be asking these and other questions and will be keeping readers up to date with any developments.

ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

I RECENTLY received a letter from Darlington Borough Council's Highways and Transport Department outlining plans to improve our roads.

While I welcome any initiative on this subject, I still think our councillors have missed the point.

The letter states: "Current travel trends make it likely that transport problems will get worse unless we increase the amount of walking, cycling and public transport use."

No mention of improving the roads for car users, something they have neglected, if not worked against. May I suggest it is not only current travel trends that create transport problems, it could be incomplete ring roads, the paving of road lanes or creating routes to alleviate congestion.

If the answer is to use the buses, then we'll have two bills to pay. The council is surely making a good profit on car parking in town, so I'd like to see them fulfil their duty to the motorist. I personally like to cycle to town and to work, but the incentive I would give to any converts is a free raincoat. - David Cadman, Darlington.

HELPLINES

I ENJOYED the front page story about Ashley Gibbins changing the message on the customers' helpline (Echo, June 8).

All he did in my eyes was tell the truth. Most helplines keep you hanging on until you get sick of waiting and hang up.

And when you get through you get someone who will start crying if you are a bit angry and hang up on you.

It's about time they all got their act together and treated the customer fairly. - Tom Amos, Darlington.

I TOTALLY agree with the sentiments expressed on the recorded message. Ntl's telephone help service is a joke.

I wish the company spokesman Malcolm Padley would take the criticisms of his service as seriously as he took the recorded message. - Gordon Merry, Darlington.