My memories of Cov during the war

I Was born in Coventry and remember in the mid 50s playing amongst the bomb craters where I lived In Holbrooks.

I would see the machine gun damage to the walls protecting the Dunlop. As a youngster they didn’t mean a lot but as I grew older the war time stories were told and I listened with great intent.

So much damage to Coventry during the war. It took a great many years to rebuild Coventry and the lives of those who lived there.

It is sad that we went through that and it did not prevent more wars happening.

I live a world away in Queensland Australia but my thoughts often go back to what I experienced during my childhood.

C. Frost, Australia.

Head teachers must make open decision

THE Chief Executives of Academy Trusts, the Secretary of State for Education and the Prime Minister all say that all pupils should return to school in September.

I still say that this is a decision only the Head Teacher can take. The Head Teacher knows the building, the pupils and the staff and can monitor daily changes.

He or she has to convince parents that it is safe for their children to return. This needs to be a head teacher based permanently at one school, not an Executive Head Teacher or a Chief Executive or an Executive Principal or even an Emperor Principal.

The unions’ role should be to give objective advice to head teachers and to support them if there are genuine grounds for refusing to open a school.

Let’s hope that most children can return safely to school in September.