Liz Walker (Letters, July 25) links Vardean School with selling land for houses, waste disposal and incinerators.

Surrenden Campus is home to four schools, including Varndean School, as well as Varndean College. It is the College that has submitted a planning application that involves raising revenue by selling land for housing, in response to a projected increase in demand from students for places. Varndean School is the most oversubscribed school in the city.

Last year, the school opened a £1.5 million extension to cater, in part, for an increase in demand for places. There are further, relatively modest plans for additional buildings to be occupied in January

2003 but with no plans to provide additional places.

Neither of these projects involves the loss of playing fields or the sale of land. As a local authority-run community comprehensive school, we are able to draw on the support of Brighton and Hove City Council for finance. Regrettably, Varndean College is not in this enviable position.

-Andy Schofield, Headteacher, Varndean School, Surrenden Campus, Brighton