AS headteachers of Blackburn with Darwen, we are outraged at the implication in your editorial comment (LET March 11) that we would tolerate "bad teaching and mediocrity" in our schools and the suggestion that we would object to good teachers being properly rewarded is untrue.

Our teachers work with a passionate commitment to the raising of educational standards.

Our teachers are dedicated, valuing each and every child and striving continuously to provide a happy, safe, stimulating environment in which all children thrive.

Blackburn with Darwen Schools are supported by a forward-thinking education authority, which is recognised by the Department for Education and Employment as an authority with ambition for its children, an appetite for hard work and a policy of 'Aiming High, Including All.'

As headteachers, we work tirelessly to nurture the commitment, dedication and professionalism of our colleagues in school. We have no objection to rigorous, professional appraisal. However, we urge the Government to reconsider those parts of the Green Paper which are divisive, demoralising and unworkable.

There are some general principles in the Green Paper that we support, but there are also unfair proposals that will disadvantage many dedicated and hard-working teachers.

We are confident that your readers will understand that your 'Comment' column was a misrepresentation of our true beliefs.

BRIAN PEACOCK, ALISON TAYLOR, JOHN ORGILL, JANET KNIGHT, GLEN PURCHASE, ELIZABETH BEAUMONT, ANITA ABRAMS, JILL CATLOW, Intack, Cedars, Hawthorns, Meadowhead Infant and Junior, Blackamoor and Sacred Heart Schools and the Ethnic Minority Achievement Project, Blackburn with Darwen Education and Training Department.

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