Sir – Melinda Tilley “absolutely disagrees” with Professor Simon Horobin apparently on comments he made at the Hay Literary Festival (Education head hits out at don’s remarks, June 6), reported by Damian Fantato to the effect “that teachers need to scrap traditional spelling and grammar rules”.

In response to this, councillor Tilley is quoted as saying “When we are learning our language we should do it properly. It helps children to have a structure around what they write”.

Quite what Mrs Tilley means by “properly” and “a structure” must remain moot, yet her quoted comments would seem to suggest she hasn’t read Simon Horobin’s enlightening and engaging new book, Does Spelling Matter?, which can be found and seen in the current window display at the Oxford University Press Bookshop at 116 High Street. It should be essential reading, lodged immediately in the county council offices. Dare I suggest that reporter Damian Fantato should also read the book.

In the final sentence of his introduction to Does Spelling Matter?, Mrs Tilley might be surprised to learn that Professor Horobin writes “Instead of advocating ways of reforming English spelling to make it easier to learn today, I will argue for the importance for retaining it as a testimony to the richness of our linguistic heritage and a connection with our literary past”.

Does this “undermine our efforts”, as Mrs Tilley has it, to stimulate and enrich children’s literacy in Oxfordshire’s primary schools and at home? In the closing paragraph of the 270 pages of Does Spelling Matter?, Simon Horobin echoes his introduction: “Finally, there seems to be another reason for resisting any attempts to reform English spellings, silent letters and all: such spellings are a testimony to the richness of our language ....”.

As Professor Horobin has eloquently demonstrated, language is dynamic “and variation is part of its natural state”.

Long live English spelling, in all its variations and mutability. Long live English as a living and growing language. And long live all the languages of the world. Quite properly, of course.

Bruce Ross-Smith, Headington