DEAR EDITOR - A 'New Labour' MP has just been on local radio rabbiting on about schools being responsible - if you please - for inculcating good standards of behaviour!

Most people believe discipline starts in the cradle, that parents have a critical role in education too, when education of course means 'preparation for life.'

However, we have to accept life as it really is, that there are inadequate parents, when it is by no means unusual for children to start school lacking in basic social and personal skills.

Up until 2003/04 Government funding to Local Education Authorities included what was known as Standards Fund - money allocated for specific purposes, one such source for the development of Learning and Behaviour Support Units in schools.

These units have proved to be extremely successful, especially when developed in schools located in areas of social depravation.

We have some excellent examples of such sterling work in Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Redditch of when specially selected, trained, dedicated professional teachers and teaching assistants have brought youngsters back to the 'straight and narrow' through early intervention, thus precluding exclusion from school.

The hapless New Labour MP ought to be aware too, not only that withdrawal of funding has caused many schools anxious to maintain the LBSU's, to run into deficit budgets but also too that Religious Education when well taught in schools - as it frequently is when integrated with Citizenship Training - raises standards!

The latter however, like English, is taught by every teacher and teaching assistant, when OFSTED reports regularly refer to the personal example of staff at all levels in our schools.

County Councillor Tom Wareing

Jays Close

Redditch