SIR - Last September I wrote to this newspaper about the mess the schooling system was in Skipton and how someone in authority should get a grip. The only thing to have emerged from county hall has been a minor procedural change to the tests dressed up as consultation.

Since then further disturbing news has come to light. The LEA has ignored a letter from the Ombudsman which advised them that, before any appeal, it should publish all evidence which supports these tests as a method of selection.

Such evidence would make fascinating reading, if it exists, for everyone. The LEA has been asked for this evidence many times before, and the director has been asked personally in the public scrutiny committee in February. To date no evidence has ever been seen. You would think the least they could do is explain why they use these tests.

One of the reasons mentioned at the scrutiny committee for the change in testing procedures was security. It was suspected that copies of the test papers have been in circulation for a number of years. This is one thing that the LEA has not ignored, surprisingly, but it is rather strange they have been arguing over a number of years that coaching has little effect if they suspected some people had copies before the test.

They deny that coaching has any effect on the test results yet fail to find out why Skipton's pass mark is 10 per cent above Ripon's. They give out statistical nonsense, without explanation, about it being the number of children sitting the test.

They fail to look into the reasons for the pass mark difference because it will expose their own policy in Skipton and the lack of investment in education at our secondary moderns.

The secondary moderns cannot provide a focus of achievement for pupils if they do not have a sixth form.

Parents want a schooling, which matches their child's abilities, and some will pay to make sure they get it. This need for a sixth form is supported by the poor take up rate of A levels amongst the 16 year olds in Skipton. Your child, particularly if it is a boy, has a much higher chance of studying to A level and therefore go onto further education if they pass the 11+ or go to South Craven.

The number of boys in Skipton achieving A levels is comparatively poor and no amount of Oxbridge successes can disguise that.

The lack of adequate education facilities in Skipton is becoming more starkly apparent as parents appreciate the increasing importance of A levels and further education. The leader of the council has appeared on these letter pages to say how cost effective North Yorkshire LEA is. The word cheap comes to my mind.

The Department of Education and Employment reminded North Yorkshire LEA directly last year that they had a requirement under the 1998 Education Act to set up an Admission Forum drawn from people connected with the local schools.

There is no admissions forum meaning the LEA ignores their very own government department as well. They probably do not wish to discuss anything to do with admissions with minority interest groups such as parents. They will probably not publish the results of the recent consultation except bland statements about it having a good level of support. Such statements are intended to say little.

I have spoken to a lot of parents about this subject and everyone insists on keeping quiet, thinking they may ruin any chance their child has of getting into the school of their choice if they speak up. About the only thing the LEA is good at is getting the better of meddlesome parents and they rely upon this conspiracy of silence. Please be assured even if you keep quiet they will get the better of you regardless.

The LEA needs to answer some hard questions such as why there is a poor take-up of A levels in Skipton compared to similar towns?

Why was transport assistance to South Craven for Upper Wharfedale children withdrawn?

Why are there so few pupils from Greatwood and Ings going to the grammar schools?

Any state sponsored system which gives an advantage as far reaching as education to people because they can afford to spend more money than the next person, does not deserve, and should not be allowed, to survive.

Sadly I have heard yet again of at least one child with three level 5s in their SATs this year has been told they were not suitable for a grammar school place. There are certain to be more. The education facilities in Skipton are a long way short of matching the aspirations and abilities of its children.

Graeme Hitchen,

graemehitchen@aol.com

Bradley.

Archive jumble

SIR - In his letter of June 29, Douglas Grant draws your attention to the inadequate arrangements for archiving Craven's historical records.

Equally as problematical as the depositing of new material is the retrieval of material that is already in the archives.

Over the centuries, the Craven District has been repeatedly at the periphery of civil and ecclesiastical reorganisations, each administration making new arrangements for its archives.

As a result, those interested in researching the history of the west of Craven must now search through material which is spread through no fewer than six archives - the Borthwick Institute at York, the Northallerton Record Office, the Wakefield Registry of Deeds, Leeds Archives, the Yorkshire Archaelogical Society and the Preston Record Office.

No other area in the country can be so badly served by its archive services.

Physical dispersion is not the only barrier to research on Craven material. Much of it is poorly catalogued compared with material of more central interest to the individual archives and, because the material is infrequently consulted, archivists are often unaware of the quality of some of the Craven material sitting in their archives.

My own experience of looking at the various archives over the last two years is that there is a wealth of fascinating material on Craven's past which has never seen the light of day because of the difficulty of identifying it in scattered archives.

I would agree with Mr Grant that the ideal solution from a user point of view would be for Craven material to reside in a single archive -preferably in Leeds, because of its ease of access using public transport. In the real world, I doubt whether any of the archives would be willing to give up their existing material to satisfy mere users.

Perhaps a half way house would be the establishment of a comprehensive index of all of the Craven material in the various archives. Since the present parlous state of the Craven archives is a direct result of administrative action, I would suggest that there is a very good case for the drawing up of a comprehensive index of Craven's records being grant aided.

Tony Stephens,

Greta Mount Farm,

Burton-in-Lonsdale.

Access worries

SIR - Further to your article about the plans to convert Settle primary school into seven homes.

Whilst I have no objections about the proposed homes themselves, I do however have reservations about the plans for the car park and in particular, the demolition of the roadside wall to form a new "improved" access.

Victoria Street is arguably the busiest and fastest, narrow street in Settle with many vehicles passing through ranging from large lorries to scrambling motorbikes.

The plans to introduce the "improved" access at a road junction, that is at times congested with cars trying to pass each other, are to say the the least, inadequate. If the entrance were to be left where it is then at least the traffic entering or leaving the proposed car park would be less of a hindrance to other road users.

I also feel that the lower part of what is now the playground, would be put to better use as a car park for the residents of Victoria Street and other nearby streets, many of which have no off street parking.

This would ease traffic congestion in this area. I think that I am correct in stating that this part of the playground is not owned by the vicar and churchwardens of the parish of Settle, as it passed from John Eccleston, to what was then the County Council of West Yorkshire, on the 2nd of October 1970.

Andrew Birkby,

Victoria Street, Settle.

A wall is missing

SIR - I do not usually reply to inaccurate letters but if they make specious comment which cloud important issues, I make an exception.

Much of Mr Pearson's letter (Craven Herald June 29) about the Yorkshire Artists exhibition in Skipton Town Hall can be seen to be erroneous if my reply to Mr Quinn is examined.

To make my weighting of emphasis irrefutable, a helpful analogy might be to regard the exhibition as a public building. Mr Quinn pointed out that one of the walls was missing. My reply showed that it was not due to lack of material or labour.The problem lay with the architects, in this case the selectors of the paintings on show.

If Mr Quinn and myself are to be labelled critical by Mr Pearson for pointing out a glaring ommission, I have to question his judgment.

In the light of Mr Pearson's experience, 20 years seems an awful long time, in which not to get an exhibition right.This should only take two years, maximum.

Diverting attention to the condition and design of the other three walls and how well appointed they are only obscures the important point that we are dealing with communication between artists and audience, not a discussion of the niceties of school, style or "-ism".

Mr Quinn put his finger right on the problem and reported it. I only acted in confirmation.

Mr Pearson is right in his appraisal, that open exhibitions are a celebration of a range of artistic talents. However to preserve this, we have to ensure, that such exhibitions, are indeed truly open, without slant, leaning or agenda, especially ones that the artists are not aware of.

Finally, I will point out that at the same time as the Yorkshire Artists I was exhibiting in Skipton Library seven pictures, two of which commented on current issues.

I had not written, in response to dissapointment at not being shown, as I was exhibiting across the road.

I wrote just because of the worrying general lack of incisive comment in the Yorkshire Artists Exhibition.

Roger A Bell,

Skipton Road, Gargrave.