I wonder how many parents in Brighton and Hove are aware of the current consultation on the proposal to close Falmer High School and replace it with Falmer Academy.

I imagine not many.

Numbers at the public meeting on June 10 were low, which is not surprising considering the lack of publicity.

I was fortunate to have received one of only ten copies of the consultation proposals leaflet that was sent to my daughter's primary school. Ten leaflets for a school of 300-plus children which is within the Falmer High School catchment area and where more than 50% of the current Year 6 children will be going to Falmer High School this September.

When I questioned the assistant director of schools, Gil Sweetenham, at the public meeting he told me it was up to schools to inform parents. What, with ten leaflets? Surely as a bare minimum the children due to start at Falmer High this September should have received information on the proposals and, as the local education authority hold details of every child living in the catchment area, it should have been responsible for getting this information to parents.

Details of the proposals are on the council website but I doubt that many people check it regularly.

I did and the "expression of interest for an academy" document made interesting reading.

My husband and I, both educated, hardworking taxpayers, were incredibly insulted at the presumption on page 8 of the document that reads: "Seventy seven pupils from within the catchment area did not put Falmer High as a preference. It is reasonable to presume that the families of these pupils who chose schools outside the Falmer catchment area are the more motivated and aspirational families."

I am certain other parents who have chosen Falmer High this year will be equally offended to read this. We supported our daughter's first preference of Falmer High based on the excellent work done there by headteacher Stuart McLaughlin and his staff.

The academy proposals appear to offer nothing extra other than the promise of new modern buildings.

Our daughter has excelled in a primary school building far older than the buildings at Falmer High. It is what goes on within the school not the bricks and mortar that make the difference.

The consultation ends this Friday and I urge all parents throughout the city to read the documents and express their views by this date as the outcome will affect not only Falmer High but every school in the city.

If, as its website states, Brighton and Hove City Council is committed to providing the best educational opportunities and raising educational standards for all children and young people, then it should ditch the academy plans and let the education professionals get on with running the schools and not a wealthy businessman.

  • Jane Kistnasamy, Coombe Road, Brighton

As a member of the University of Brighton teaching staff and a parent governor of a Brighton secondary school, I fully support the arguments put by our union representatives Jim Guild, Linda Newman and Tom Hickey against the proposed Falmer Academy School (The Argus, June 27).

However, there are some further points to note. With charity tax breaks the amount put up by the sponsor will be a lot less than £2 million and he will have a large say in how the school is run.

On the school's website is the Falmer Academy Newsletter, issue one, summer 2008, making the assumption that the project is going to happen come what may.

It states that the £25 million plus earmarked by the Government for building the academy will not be forthcoming if the academy is turned down.

This raises the question about how government money for schools is allocated. With a finite national schools budget any money spent on building academies is money denied to all other schools outside of the academies programme. Therefore the academies programme should be a concern to all and not just those affected in the Falmer High catchment area.

  • Graham Sharp, Channel View Road, Woodingdean

The whole idea of academies seems to be a step back to Victorian times.

One wealthy individual controls everything that goes on in a school without regard for the wishes of the parents and pupils or the professional judgment of the staff.

Falmer is an improving school and it should be given a fair chance. Taking Falmer out of the local admissions system is going to cause serious problems.

As a parent and a teacher I feel that this is a backward step. It is only being taken for the sake of Tony Blair's political dogma.

  • Rob Jarrett, Grange Road, Hove