Following the decision by the government adjudicator to reject the LEA's plans to merge Balfour Infants and Junior schools, we shall continue to support the staff and governors of both schools to provide an excellent education for the children.

Naturally, we accept the decision, even though it means there will now be no solution to the problem of the mismatch in admissions limits between the two schools.

Sadly, this will continue to cause heartache to large numbers of families and children in the infants school for the foreseeable future.

I must, however, correct one false impression which was again conveyed by the report on the decision (The Argus, February 2).

There was never any savings agenda behind the merger proposal. The salaries of the head teacher and senior staff are paid for out of the schools' own budgets and these are based on pupil numbers.

So if a merged school manages to save on senior staff salaries, the money is then available to the school to pay for other things, such as extra teachers, support staff, books and equipment. It is not a saving for Brighton and Hove City Council.

In fact, had the merger gone ahead, it would have cost the council more money because it had pledged to spend a sum in excess of £100,000 on building work to link the two schools.

This money will now be available for school repairs and maintenance elsewhere in the city.

-David Hawker, Director, Children, Families and Schools, Brighton and Hove City Council