I WRITE regarding the article written by your education reporter, Rosemary Cook ("School merger may take place", May 17). I am the chair of the Parent-Teachers Association at Rawcliffe School and I'm afraid to say it will be too late for us at Rawcliffe.

We are going to lose an excellent headmaster in Mr Long, purely because the education authority could not see what was staring them in the face, and that is the amount of houses being built in the vicinity of our school warrants Rawcliffe being made into a primary.

I am sure Mr Long joined us in the hope that this would be happening. At the time he joined there were plans for it to happen within five years, then it became 11 to 16 years, today it is back to a distinct possibility. He must surely feel he has been sold down the river.

The school is a credit to him and all the staff and it is an absolute disgrace the way he has been treated. I am so happy at the school when my daughter leaves in July I intend to stay on, I only wish she could too.

Good luck to you Nick. You've been great!

Julie Maycock,

Jacobi Close, York.

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, May 21, 2003