Dr Jeff Craine (Letters, January 23) appears to misunderstand what parents and residents in villages like Elvington and Dunnington are fighting for.

We are campaigning for strong links between primary and secondary schools, which we presume is what Dr Craine wishes for the citizens of Woodthorpe. The Education Authority also believes this to be the best way forward for all of York.

We in Elvington already have a strong link with a secondary school, a link which has existed for over 30 years. Under current proposals, the city council is proposing to break the link with Fulford, and attempt to create a new link with another school. We are not seeking preferential treatment, but there is considerable evidence that breaking the current strong link will have a serious detrimental effect on our children's education and on our community.

We applaud the council's decision to create links between schools, but there is no reason why existing links should be broken as part of this process.

Woodthorpe Primary School will also soon enjoy the benefits of a link with a secondary school and then Dr Craine may appreciate why we all feel so strongly about this issue.

Andrew Hansed,

Elvington Community Action Group,

Beck Close,

Elvington.

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