I live in the Queen's Park area of Brighton and have a child in Year 5.

The proposals to change the admissions criteria finally gave us a real chance of having some choice of where our children go to secondary school - all us east Brighton parents have been optimistically crossing our fingers that fairness and sense would prevail.

But now, according to an article in The Argus (January 14), it seems to have been rejected out of hand, not because it is unworkable or unfair, but because a group of articulate parents, who want to retain a choice of three schools and leave us in east Brighton with no choice, have run a campaign against it.

Surely the working party always knew parents in Fiveways' wouldn't wholeheartedly support its original proposals? But this didn't stop them suggesting the fairest option for the greatest number of children.

I can't comprehend how James Simister of the Blatchington and Stringer Action Group (see above) thinks it is "common sense" for the area in which he lives to have a good choice of schools and our area not to.

To do so is self-centered and, quite frankly, morally reprehensible. It sets a poor example to children about how we should live together in a community.

It is hard for me to adequately express my anger and disappointment at what appears to be the final decision of the working party.

This has been made as a result of pressure from Mr Simister and his supporters, not as a result of what is right and fair for the greatest number of children living in Brighton.

If 55 per cent of Brighton's parents wanted to bring back the birch in schools, would the council do that, too?

-Fiona Leigh, Brighton