ANNETTE Bullock's analysis of the LEAs performance on transfers to high schools (Your Letters, Oct 27) paints a very misleading picture.

The claim that 500 were heard during the summer, representing 25 per cent of children transferring to high schools, is quite simply wrong as is her inference that the transfer process in the borough is characterised by widespread maladministration.

Figures presented in September to the lifelong learning and culture scrutiny and review panel indicate a rather different picture.

True, more than 500 appeals had been submitted at that time (488 to the borough's 11 community high schools and 51 to the three aided, or denominational, schools). However what Ms Bullock fails to highlight is that these numbers include parents from outside of the borough trying to get their children into Bury schools, along with multiple appeals where parents have submitted anything up to half dozen appeals in relation to one child.

To compound the false impression, Ms Bullock also confuses the figure for the number of appeals submitted with those actually reaching Appeals Board stage. The figures presented in September showed 246 reaching Appeals Board stage.

To infer, as Ms Bullock does, that we have an inept local education authority deliberately operating an unjust system is alarmist and contrary to what has so far been heard during the course of scrutiny and review panel deliberations.

Rather, there has been a general appreciation of the role played by authority staff in trying to manage a situation where we have a large number of high performing schools all within a relatively small area. Add to this the current bulge in numbers of transfer-aged children and the high number of out-of-borough applications and it makes for a difficult and complex situation.

It may be unpalatable for some, but there has to be a mechanism to say no to parents who want their child to go to a particular school. The only alternative is to have larger and larger classes where effective teaching is impossible and health and safety is compromised.

Establishing the criteria for managing this process is something the scrutiny and review panel has been examining over the past month. Readers may like to note that we will be concluding our deliberations on high school transfers at our meeting in the town hall on Tuesday, Nov 7, at 7 pm.

COUNCILLOR

TIM CHAMBERLAIN,

chairman,

lifelong learning and culture

scrutiny and review panel.