THE recent announcement of how all high schools and colleges had done nationally against each other in terms of attainment and achievement throws up some interesting observations if you look at the details.

Although recognising there had been a slight improvement overall for Worcestershire schools in the three year study, I strongly feel that schools are 'coasting' and the levels of achievement are not good enough when compared with some other Midland education authorities and schools not heads and governors set their sights much higher.

We still are not hitting the LEA average of 55per cent for five or more grades A-C and at our own Droitwich Spa High School we are only at 50 per cent.

I do not know if the parents of children at this school feel this is acceptable but clearly other schools in the county and across the Midlands achieve much higher results. We must ask ourselves why? And then set ourselves a much higher objective.

I have not been a Governor at the School for many years now so I may not be in a position of knowing all the facts, but Droitwich High is the second largest in the county, it has the lowest numbers for special needs students, it attracts the highest calibre of staff, has some excellent students, a very supportive parent group, it has Sports Excellence status, a good environment and resources to match.

Why are this years' results so disappointing and should we not as a community be expecting much higher results? Others can do it, why can't we?

Peter Pinfield

County Councillor

Droitwich Spa