Too simplistic

He is right that the transport infrastructure to support the Harwell Oxford campus needs to be improved — the business community has been saying so for a very long time.

He is, however, fundamentally wrong in his criticisms of the proposed Harwell Enterprise Academy. Daniel seems to see the “school community” as very narrow — the houses nearby — rather than the wider economic and social dimensions.

Our schools located in housing areas have not, for whatever reason, helped their leavers to be ready and equipped for the workplace. This is the stark finding of the most recent survey of the Oxfordshire Economic Partnership.

We believe it is time to try a different approach which will appeal to some but not all, parents and young people.

The issue of transport to schools is and will always be, a challenge in a rural area. The rules for transport to academies (including Free Schools) are the same as for maintained schools.

Some students in the villages around Didcot are closer to the Harwell campus than their current nearest school. Others choose to go to schools other than in Didcot. Some are currently bussed out of area to Wantage. His criticism of the location is far too simplistic.

If our academy is approved, we will want to work closely with the local authority and the managers of the park to seek to minimise the environmental impact of transport.

I would hope that Daniel would agree that the real challenge is to get the balance right in helping to raise the motivation and achievement of young people in the county with the environmental factors that he raises.

Terry Stock, Chairman, New Oxford School Trust