Like many sixthformers I have a Facebook account. Some of my friends have created groups which refer to our school; none of these groups is critical of the school. Our teachers spy on us using false profiles and have told us off for creating these groups. Can teachers spy on us and then discipline us for these activities?

Name withheld

Depending on the privacy settings, Facebook groups can be viewed by anyone accessing the site. What you write could in effect be for public consumption. If the comments posted reflect badly on the school, then the head teacher can, education lawyer Jack Rabinowicz tells me, take action to defend the school’s reputation.

A sensible head will allow reasonable freedom of expression, but comments that attack teachers or make unfair criticisms of the school deserve to be punished.

The primary school attended by my grandchild is adjacent to a busy dual carriageway which could soon be widened. The area is already an air-pollution hot spot. Don’t children have a right to attend a school that is not going to compromise their long-term health? What can I do?

John Butler, Flintshire

You are, of course, right to worry. You need to be able to show that pollution levels are likely to increase above the safe levels recommended by the Health and Safety Executive.

A local university might be able to supply this and if the study confirms your concerns the bureaucrats will have to act.

Our middle child is in year 6 at primary school. In the last two weeks the school has introduced streaming to years 5 and 6 maths. This combines the two age groups in an ability streamed session. Is this a sensible action for the school to have taken as year 6 approach their Sats after Easter?

Tony Williams by e-mail

I would have expected the school to consult parents about the move, but grouping children according to ability makes sense. The wider the range of ability the harder the class is to teach.

In response to a letter published in last week’s column about a school with a sixth form that will be shutting, the Girls’ Day School Trust tells me that no school that is a member of its organisation has a sixth form due to close. Apologies for the error. Chris Woodhead is a former chief inspector of schools and now chairman of the private schools group Cognita.

If you have a question for him, write to him c/o The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST or e-mail him, with your name and address, at education-questions@sunday-times.co.uk

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