Praise for cash-strapped schools is well-deserved

Susan Howatch, novelist, Sue Lawley, TV presenter Julia Somerville, former newsreader, Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer,

Matthew Fox, actor, Nick McCabe, guitarist Howard Webb, professional football referee Lee Mead, musical theatre actor, AS a local MP and as a member of the Education Select Committee, I would like to publicly acknowledge and thank the Examiner for supporting our local schools and their staff.

Education is a fundamental building block for our children’s lives and a good education will allow them to succeed beyond their expectations.

School cuts are heavily impacting our education system and the latest figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies show that there has been an 8% decrease in funding since 2010.

The pressure that teachers and headteachers are under to deliver a quality education without sufficient resources is intense.

No teacher should have to be purchasing basic classroom equipment with their own wages.

The Examiner School Awards are a fantastic initiative to recognise the hard work that pupils and dedicated staff do throughout the year, even despite difficult circumstances.

Congratulations to editor Wayne Ankers and the team on another successful awards event. IN recent weeks, due to the hot weather, I have revised my afternoon walks with Paddy, our Golden Retriever.

A favourite walk last week was through Dean Wood in Netherton up to Nether Moor Road and then through the quarries for some refreshments at the Sands House.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I managed to clear Sands House Lane of all the rubbish that ‘low lifes’ throw out of their car windows.

Well Thursday heart.

As the Examiner reported recently there were numerous reports of fly tipping around this area including three dumps down Sands House Lane ... grrrr.

What is wrong with these ‘people’?

OK, maybe Kirklees have shot themselves in the foot with the bin strike and restrictions on waste disposal at their sites, but at the end of the day nobody who respects this planet should lower themselves to actions like this.

Back to the heading on this letter. I once worked in Munich many years ago and you could almost eat your dinner off the streets they were so clean.

In the recent World Cup games I believe the Japanese fans were clearing up other fans’ rubbish. Good on them.

Me and Paddy will continue our day job of clearing up after the low lifes with the hope that at some point they may see some sense. I won’t hold my breath. Dave Andrews

Netherton PS I was up there on Tuesday and can commend Kirklees on clearing up after all the fly

tippers ... well done.