Death of support

standaRds of literacy are falling in primary schools, as more lesson time is committed to dealing with such issues as bereavement.

this is another example of the state seeking to supplant the traditional role of the family.

schools should be aware and supportive when children face tragedy, but the family is the context for close emotional support, remembrance and philosophical or religious interpretation of death. as schools encroach on family territory, parents feel the need to teach academic basics at home.

RICHARD LUCAS, Edinburgh.