COUNCILLOR Jane Brown, cabinet member for for corporate service in Durham, persists in claiming that myself and other Durham Teaching Assistants will be losing an average of 10 per cent of their salary if they are unceremoniously fired then re-hired at the end of the year.

Where on earth is she plucking this mystical figure from?

Can I remind her how to find the percentage deduction from the salaries of this dedicated workforce – first you take the amount they are losing and divide it by their current basic salary, then multiply it by 100...there you have it: the percentage amount.

I have done a straw-poll among my colleagues and nobody so far is losing less than 11 per cent, let alone an average of 10 per cent.

A typical example from one of my colleagues is as follows: she is losing £4,382 from a salary of £20,920. If you do the maths that’s a loss of 20.9 per cent.

Another colleague who works part-time is losing £1,107 from a salary of £7,194 which is a loss of 15 per cent. Furthermore Ms Brown should not forget that as part of the proposed contracts most teaching assistants will also have to work up to four hours extra a week, which drives that percentage figure up further.

Has she also considered that some schools are not offering extra hours, or the fact some individuals are unable or can’t afford to work additional hours due to family commitments such as childcare?

This all amounts to substantial further loss.

This combination of factors certainly makes that 10 per cent average look puzzlingly inaccurate. Perhaps in September Ms Brown would like to come and take part in my Year five numeracy group?

Mrs A Knighton, Chester-le-Street.