SENIOR SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS [To the Editor of THE
SPECTATOR.] SIR,—My letter in your issue of June Ilth dealing with this matter, and in view of the proposal that there should be one senior school for Crowborough, compared particulars given in a memorandum issued by those acting for the Sir Henry Fermor Endowed School wherein it was stated " the present school of the foundation is a full range mixed school with 178 pupils, of whom about 6o are seniors," as against " 143 boys and girls of eleven years of age and over, and a total of 372 in the Council-provided school." This statement was simply to show that the Council- provided school has a stronger claim by reason of its numbers and growth to be the one senior school in Crowborough. It may be the larger attendance at the provided school has partly arisen from the increase of new houses in that neigh- bourhood, but the remark " it has grown to be the larger and more efficient school " was a' general one and made in relation to the proposed scheme of reorganisation of the elementary schools, and never intended to convey any reflection upon the teaching staff of the Fermor School, of whose qualifications I was unaware and therefore unable to form an opinion upon. Apparently from information reaching me my words have been construed as a - reflection upon the conduct, capacity and efficiency of the teaching staff engaged in the Fermor Scholl.
I hope I have shown this was not in my thought and I much regret my letter has been so construed ; hence I will thank you to publish this letter and remove at once any mis- understanding there may be on this point.—Yours truly, Sweethaws Lodge, Crowborough. ARTHUR T. H. SMITH.
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