UNLESS and until George Lord is re-elected and appointed to a position of power on Worcestershire County Council he is no position to give the assurance in his letter last week, that "there will continue to be middle schools in Bromsgrove" and, more to the point, this is a promise made by somebody who, during his time as leader of the county council, has presided over the change from three-tier to two-tier education in Hagley and Wyre Forest.

I welcome those decisions, fittingly described by the director of educational services in a letter to Wyre Forest schools, as moving beyond uncertainty " to deliver excellent outcomes for all our pupils and students," but I do wonder how Cllr Lord, having been party to them, can now be so dogmatic about three-tier education in Bromsgrove.

School organisation in this county is a total mishmash crying out for rationalisation and what we have needed for years is a county council with courage to commit itself to the principle, and begin the process, whereby all schools in the county eventually become two-tier. If three-tier education is as good as its advocates claim, why can the number of LEAS embracing it nationally be numbered on the fingers of one hand, and if two-tier education is so right for Rubery, Hagley and Wyre Forest, why is it not right for Bromsgrove?

There might be a pressing need to answer that question immediately were Bromsgrove not about to embark on a £63m PFI school building programme.

We desperately need better schools and increased pupil provision, but the local education authority, after election fever has subsided, should not allow the current PFI euphoria to divert it from the need to look at the desirable long term structure needed from Bromsgrove. If ever there was a time to do that, it is now, before millions are spent on new schools that in the long term will be of the wrong type in the wrong place to deliver for all pupils and students in Bromsgrove.

Frank Howard

Alcester Road, Lickey End