I refer to the letter from "local elected representatives with an interest and concerns about the wellbeing of Peers School at Littlemore, Oxford" (Oxford Mail, May 30).

As vice-president of Oxfordshire National Union of Teachers, I also share concerns about the wellbeing of Peers School.

The NUT has always been at the forefront of national and local campaigns for increased funding in education and so welcomes the proposal to invest £25m "in a purpose-built, safe building to educate and nurture the pupils of Peers School".

However, the NUT, in common with many people in our community, believes that all Oxford parents should be able to send their children to a good, fully-resourced state school supported by the services of the local authority. Such schools are democratically accountable to the community through governors and elected representatives.

This would not be the case with the proposed Peers Academy, despite the claims made by county councillor Val Smith et al.

Indeed, Oxfordshire County Council admits as much on its own website where it explains that "academies are schools which are independent of local authority control, but funded out of public money".

In other words, the claims by the Oxford Anti-Academies Alliance have not been refuted that Peers is, in effect, being given away to private sponsors (the Diocese of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University) who will be given £25m of our money to own and control the school without democratic accountability.

Supporters of the academy proposal have not yet been able to explain how handing over control of the school to private sponsors is going to improve educational standards and what the likely impact is going to be on other schools in the city.

There has been no in-depth independent evaluation of the academies' programme.

Results from studies that have taken place reveal that no statistically significant improvements have occurred.

Is it the involvement of private sponsors and academy status that really raises pupil achievement, or would a massive injection of state funds, under the control of the local authority, have the same effect?

We in the NUT and the Oxford Anti-Academies Alliance challenge the elected representatives, particularly those from the Labour Party, to think again and say yes to increased investment, but with no strings attached.

Chris Blakey, Warneford Road, Oxford