Sir – Charlie Allen’s letter (Paying for education, June 27) is clearly no more than a subtle sideswipe at Carterton Community College. Prejudiced views of its quality have prevailed for many years but the time has come for the people living in the area to begin to understand that it is a school which now competes, in terms of its ethos and standards, with the better performing secondary schools across England.

One of the key reasons for this is the outstanding leadership and management skills of its current headteacher Niall McWilliams and his senior team. The inspection in January confirmed this view as does the ‘Data Dashboard’ accessible on the Ofsted website.

Data, however, never tells the whole story and I am able to give full credence to the tremendously positive changes this school has experienced in recent times.

Having been invited by the school to help develop ideas about how it might protect itself in the face of a falling roll, for which the Ministry of Defence has to take the bulk of the blame, I have spent the last two years or so seeing the school at first hand on a very regular basis. It has an exceptionally welcoming atmosphere and strong evidence of a serious work ethic among the pupils generated by highly dedicated staff.

Another unsung aspect of the college’s performance is its significant leadership role in bringing about genuine collaborative activity with Carterton’s primary schools to raise standards.

Once it gains its 11-18 status next year, there is every likelihood that Carterton children will benefit from a seriously aspirational educational experience from their earliest years right through to continuing education and the world of work.

Ed McConnell, Clifton Hampden