MY daughter attends Durham Free School. She is happy, thriving and doing brilliantly, as are her friends.

She has Asperger's syndrome and dyslexia. The school's pastoral support is also second to none.

Parents and children love this school and were distraught when they heard via the media (Echo, Jan 20) that the Government wanted to shut it without even giving it a chance.

Even the ridiculous Ofsted report, distorted, dishonest and damning as it was, expressed confidence in the capacity of the new leadership to turn things round.

How can the Government justify spending all this public money on setting up a school, only to let it run four terms and then shut it again?

The set-up money has already been spent, the running costs are going to be similar to sending to the kids to other schools, as they all still need to be funded.

If, indeed, places can be found that are acceptable to parents and children, which I rather doubt.

Quite a few say they would prefer to home school if it comes to it.

This is public money, as everyone is so fond of saying, so how can politicians justify this waste by pulling the plug before seeing the fruit of the investment?

No business would ever be run like this - you would never expect to see a quantifiable return for at least five years.

We already have loads of fruit, please read the parents comments on our homepage the durhamfreeschool.org.uk The school is in a very healthy financial state and is entirely viable.

The Ofsted report does not describe my child's school. I don't know what is going on but this looks like a stitch up to me for political ends.

Jennifer Denning, Durham.