I WOULD like to express my thanks for the hard work and dedication that many of the staff, both past and present, have shown towards the children at Queen's Park Science and Technology College.

Throughout the discussions surrounding the school, a major factor has been omitted.

Black in 1973, Shadsworth estate was full of families who thought that education was of vital importance but, sadly, as time passed, the town's housing department moved into the area many less stable families who saw education as much less important.

Consequently, support for the work done at the high school diminished.

Indeed, in some cases, the school met with a distinct lack of parental co-operation and even outright aggression.

As everyone in education knows, parental support is vital in a child's education and without it a teacher's job becomes so much more difficult.

FRANK SHUTTLEWORTH, Headteacher, Shadsworth Junior School, 1973-1997.