David Hawker's Statement (The Argus, March 2) that "there is absolutely no intention of closing Falmer school" is as reassuring as a vote of confidence by a Premiership chairman to his manager just before he gives him the boot.
The truth of the matter is Mr Hawker has presided over the biggest mismanagement of education in this country and should do the decent thing and resign.
The PFI contract has been an expensive mistake and will cost the taxpayer at least £15 million if East Brighton College of Media and Art (Comart) closes.
The whole consultation process over the closure of Comart has been clumsy. It started badly with the most bizarre and badly managed meeting in Whitehawk's history when he was reduced to shouting against parents because we opposed the way he and Liz Wylie were running the meeting.
Most importantly, he should resign because he has no strategy for education and seems happy to lurch from one crisis to another. His assertion that all schools are full except Falmer seems to underline the widely-held belief that pupils now at Comart will be forced to take places at Falmer.
Wake up, Mr Hawker, this will not happen. You have stated clearly at several meetings that parental choice is the main consideration behind the closure of Comart.
Does that choice not extend to us, the parents who have chosen to send our children to the local school?
If Mr Hawker has any intention of trying to force pupils into schools against their wishes, he should be prepared for the backlash.
The truth is there are parents like myself willing to boycott school places forced upon our children, some of whom will simply not bother to attend because they never wanted to go there in the first place.
One thing that is clear when looking back over the whole consultation period over Comart is what a wasted opportunity it has been.
If only Mr Hawker was replaced with someone who had vision, enthusiasm and foresight we could have a real debate about the future
of education in Brighton, parental choice, community schools and federation of schools.
Sadly, that day will not come until Mr Hawker does the only honourable thing - resign.
Sevelands Close,
-Whitehawk
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