MY LETTER concerning teachers’ holidays inspired debate and so served its purpose. However, at school I was always taught to answer the question, the question being why do teachers have so many holidays whilst teaching standards are appalling. This band of brothers did not and so must be given a C- for trying, with the exception of Mel Watkins who stated that their stepdaughter needed the holidays to recharge and gets a C+ for answering.

However, what about the roofer, the checkout operator, the factory worker and the rest of us. Don’t we need to recharge, or are excessive holidays the domain exclusively for teachers like some private club in Mayfair which still passes the port to the left?

Malcolm Richards suggests that my schooldays were less than inspiring. He was right.

For one year I had the worst attendance rate in the school, until some of my teachers encouraged and inspired me to take O-levels and A-levels and get to University within three years.

That is good teaching.

Finally, the proposed industrial action by teachers unions is about resistance to government teaching guidelines. It is not up to teachers’ unions to oppose policy, industrial action is used for remuneration, health and safety and job security debates, not to tell businessmen where to sell or buy their products or to tell government how our children are educated.

We have many fine teachers. Time for the rest to hear the bell.

Pamela Hatherall, Greenmeadow, Cwmbran