SCHOOL CLOSURE: I AM angered by the vehemence and hostility shown towards Eastbourne School by the Hurworth objectors. They show a complete lack of respect and regard towards the educational community and to the wider Darlington area with their blinkered vision of what education means for our children.

Yes, Eastbourne school has had its problems, but none that cannot be resolved with the support from its excellent teaching staff. With the faith placed in them by its pupils and parents, success can - and will - be achieved.

Remember, it wasn't that long ago that Hurworth itself was in dire need of reform. Were the people of east Darlington throwing stones then? No.

Hurworth parents should also note that the Eastbourne children they are now castigating are the same ones that went to primary school with their children. They are all one and the same community.

Let's not be divisive - it sets a bad example to our children of the type of society we all want to live in. - Julie Welsh, Darlington

AS a resident of Eastbourne, I must express my annoyance at the residents of Hurworth. Why are they so worried about keeping their "high-performing school"? Surely if and when it moves to Yarm Road, it will still be the same high-performing school?

Are they worried that the pupils from Eastbourne will bring the results down?

Also, I want to express my complete disgust at the way the teachers at Eastbourne are being treated. Why are they losing their jobs while the teachers at Hurworth keep theirs? Surely last in, first out!

Eastbourne Comprehensive has been given a raw deal. It is the pupil and not the school that determines how well he/she will do. Both my children went to Eastbourne school and are now at university. My daughter achieved 11 GCSEs - two at A* and eight at A.

My children, like many, both did well because they had the ability - regardless of which school they attended.

Finally, why is the new school to be called Hurworth School? Why not Eastbourne School? - Name and address supplied, Darlington

I HAVE just returned from a restful holiday to find my usually peaceful village in total uproar.

Whose brainchild was it to amalgamate one of Darlington's top-achieving schools with one at the bottom of the scale? Does the adage 'the speed of the convoy is the speed of the slowest ship' no longer have any meaning?

Teachers and parents alike have worked estremely hard over the years to make Hurworth School the success it is today. No one wants to see their efforts wasted.

Our MP seems to be keeping his head down. Where's the "education, education, education", Mr Blair? Come to think of it, where is Mr Blair? - Pat Wilson (mother of three ex-pupils), Hurworth

AS your reporters were not allowed into Tuesday night's meeting between parents and governors at Hurworth, here are the key messages:

l Disappointment from the parents that the press was kept out of a meeting;

l Margaret Asquith gave a commitment to deal with the Hurworth community openly, honestly and transparently;

l She confirmed that what was being proposed was the takeover of Eastbourne by Hurworth lock, stock and barrel;

l She reported that the £20m was only available for building one new school and that it would be built, whether or not it was supported by the governors;

l She undertook to publish work that had been done by the local authority to discount the building of a new school in Hurworth and the other options to address the issues of raising school standards, falling rolls and the condition of the school buildings;

l She also undertook to publish evidence to support the contention that bringing together schools that are completely different schools (one in the top 50 and one in the worst dozen) sustains the academic achievements of the higher-performing school;

l The governors agreed to publish details of the privately-commissioned report considered at their meeting on June 17. - Martin Phillips, Hurworth

BY refusing admission to the press to Tuesday night's meeting, it suggests that the authorities have something to hide.

And why did none of the board of Hurworth governors attend Monday's open meeting at the town hall when Eastbourne's did?

For all interested parties to piece together the various scraps of evidence, a website has been set up at www.croftc.co.uk - Ian White, Hurworth

TUESDAY'S march through Hurworth had a great community spirit, even though feelings were running high.

How deflated I felt at the end of the meeting as questions had only been answered with the usual political jargon. They weren't interested in the congestion that will be caused, or about Darlington's attempt to be a "Town on the Move" - how will the new school fit into that ethos when at least four buses as well as personal vehicles will be used transporting all the village children into town?

The answer is to extend Hurworth to accommodate 900 pupils, which would be the most it could take, and let the council still build a new school. Hurworth would then still have a reasonably-sized school which would retain the village's community spirit. - A concerned parent (name and address supplied), Hurworth.