THE boy who played truant and told the magistrate there was "nothing for him" at school because he wants to be a mechanic or an electrician and gets bored sitting down all day (LET, August 10) has a point.

The government should realise that the National Curriculum is not suitable for all types of children.

There is a great need for vocational training in secondary schools.

Employers who have to allow trainees days off to go to college would be thankful to have school leavers who have earned some kind of certificate showing their degree of skill at car maintenance or rewiring electricity, etc.

In some schools in the USA, learning to drive is part of the curriculum and many European countries have practical courses for pupils not planning to go to university.

Children who can't sit still for five minutes and disrupt the class often come from homes where they have watched TV in their bedrooms till 5am, and grabbed a bag of sweets and a bottle of pop for breakfast.

Boys and girls would benefit by cookery lessons to teach them how to prepare simple meals with the kind of food which would make them look and feel good.

RUTH BRAITHWAITE, Newton Street, Darwen.