SIR, As the representatives of a group of parents, teachers and old scholars who were bitterly disappointed by the decision to close Bentham Grammar School, we wish to take issue with a number of points raised by the chairman of Governors, Gerald Tyler (Letter, April 12).

If it had not been for the Governor's precipitate announcement of closure (which was cleverly designed to allow no time for any viable rescue plan to be formulated), the parent's group feels that there was a very real prospect of Bentham Grammar School continuing and flourishing.

Instead of the governors exploring every possibility, there was the closest cooperation offered to Sedbergh School, and an atmosphere of inevitability created about the transfer which left parents with little option but to seek alternative schools for their children in attempts to minimise the damage being done to their academic prospects.

Mr Tyler is guilty of selective quotation in that, whilst the parents group agreed that there was no alternative to closure, this was only because Mr Tyler and his fellow governors had effectively blocked any alternative through their announcement.

The claims made about the standards of education provided by BGS are not only offensive but incorrect.

Also, Bentham is not a selective school and yet has consistently exceeded national averages, often by a considerable margin, in Key stage two and three examinations.

This included results at 22% above the national average for good passes at GCSE level last year, hardly the performance of a failing institution.

The school finances are reflected through two bodies, Bentham Grammar School Limited and The Collingwood and Baines Foundation.

If a true view of the assets and liabilities of the total interests of educational activities at Bentham is to be gained, we must consider the consolidated view of the two bodies.

The reality is that at the end of July 2001, the consolidated bodies showed assets of £1,150,630, and liabilities of £ 171,700, ie: a net worth of £978,930.

In the year to July 2002, it is projected that there will be an operating deficit of £7,085, which does little harm to the financial sanctity of the school.

It is claimed some two thirds of the school employees will be retained on the same terms and conditions.

It must be gratifying for them to be told this but the figures do not add up.

Over half of all the staff employed by the school have received redundancy notices and of those who might remain, all have had to go through a process of being interviewed for their jobs.

To date very few of them have been offered jobs on the same terms and conditions; most are still waiting to hear the outcome of their interview.

Mr Tyler indulges in some quite pointless speculation about the intentions of the original trustees back in 1726.

It is a sad day when people who were entrusted with guiding an institution seem to derive satisfaction from the demise of that institution.

The parent's group is convinced that if it were not for the actions of the governors, BGS would have continued and flourished.

At the meeting to which Mr Tyler referred, he omitted some significant views put forward by the parents representatives.

One of the most important was that the governors' efforts to market the school have been inadequate and incompetent.

One of the great strengths of Bentham School was its ability to make pupils feel comfortable and part of the Bentham family, and as this quality is intangible, it is difficult to market.

Parents felt that investment should have been made in a flagship facility based upon a specialism such as music or performing arts, thereby providing a platform for marketing effort.

This could have been funded through the sale of one of the buildings not located on the main school site.

In addition, several wealthy parents pledged substantial sums of money should the school be saved from closure.

Finally, the most telling comment from the parent's group was that, such is their view of the level of incompetence shown by the governing body, all of its members should be discouraged from acting as governor to any school in the future.

Bentham Grammar School

Parents Group