THIS is a copy of a letter I have sent to Cllr Marion Clayton, Bucks County Council membeer for schools, and county council education officials and the heads of St Paul's C of E and Meadows schools in Wooburn Green, and Claytons School, Bourne End, about the council's proposals for changing school catchment areas:

I am confused! I read in the Bucks/Marlow Free Press your statement "We need local schools for local children."

Then I read "Pupils from Bourne End/Wooburn Green would be barred from Sir William Borlase's School, Marlow, whilst potential pupils from Cookham and parts of Maidenhead, Berkshire, would be eligible"!

I can see no logic or commonsense in that, and I feel a groundswell of fierce opposition from parents in Wooburn and Bourne End.

Those parents who support the County Education Policy of Grammar Schools and who have aspiring pupils with the necessary qualifications have traditionally attended Sir William Borlase's School, Marlow, the local and by far the nearest grammar school. Bourne End centre is just three miles from Marlow!

Access is relatively easy - train service from Bourne End to Marlow (one stop). A good deal of the highway (A4155) has a recently constructed off highway, adjacent cycle path, with extensions into Marlow under active consideration by the county.

Cookham for instance is five miles by main road to Marlow and by train two stops away, let alone parts of Maidenhead.

Paul Holmes, education officer, is quoted saying: "What we want is local schools for local children" couldn't agree more!

But what does he mean by "these proposals are designed to get a better balance between the number of children in an area and the number of places available"?

If it means we are attempting to give parents in neighbouring Berkshire the choice of a grammar school in Marlow at the expense of Bucks children in Bourne End and Wooburn the mind boggles.

There may well be a legal obligation to conform with central government's mandate of parental choice but not at any expense and certainly not at the expense of Bourne End and Wooburn.

Traditionally over the years Bourne End and Wooburn children have attended Sir William Borlase's Grammar School. To have to bus those children to other parts of Bucks unnecessarily would not only appear illogical it would be counter to everyone's Policy of Local Schools for Local Children!

We are attempting to reduce traffic on the roads not increase it!

Mr Holmes says: "We are trying to simplify the system!" I can't agree! We shouldn't be obliged to offer places to Maidenhead and Cookham children because it is their nearest grammar school at the expense of more local children in Bucks!

Cllr John Dalton

(Wycombe District Council

Independent member

for The Wooburns)

Wooburn Manor Park

Wooburn Green

February 14, 2002 13:38