THE letters on the review of secondary schools from Coun Andrew Garner ('Support growing to keep both schools', Guide, December 29) and Helen Rogerson ('Local schools, where children make friends', Guide January 5) offer an interesting comparison between contrasting ways of approaching the same basic issue.

Coun Garner has opted for the rhetorical approach ('Unashamedly sticking up for Prestwich') but doesn't seem able to make his mind up on whether or not he wants the two Prestwich high schools to be included in the borough-wide review of secondary education.

In contrast, Helen Rogerson adopts a more reasoned approach, by advocating the advantages she claims for smaller schools.

Unfortunately where both approaches fall down is on funding of schools, where both express pious hopes for the link between government funding and pupil numbers to be weakened.

I have no doubt that there is no prospect whatsoever of that happening under a government of any political persuasion.

Indeed the link between funding and pupil numbers has been successively strengthened by this government and by the Conservative one which preceded it.

At the same time, the ability of local education authorities to ameliorate the situation by putting in extra funding based upon indicators of need has been whittled away until it has, for all practical purposes, disappeared altogether.

We now have a 'ringfenced' set of school budgets based primarily on pupil numbers which is funded not only by government grant but also by Bury council tax payers money which the council put in to our schools (including, of course, the two in Prestwich) to enhance their budgets above the level the government said was needed.

The ringfencing means that the money is already committed for the year to come and that the council will not be in a position to increase it.

Thus, the realistic prospect, if nothing is done to tackle the situation, is that, as pupil numbers decline over the next few years, school budgets will also decline, making it progressively harder to maintain staffing levels, curriculum entitlement and school buidings and facilities.

That is the situation we face and no amount of rhetoric or pious hopes will change it.

That's why the review is necessary in the interests of all the children in the borough, including those who will attend our schools in the years to come.

COUN Derek Boden

Members Room

Bury Town Hall