I am the parent of a child attending Bramcote Lorne prep school in Retford, Nottinghamshire. The school was taken over from a charitable trust three years ago by the United Church Schools Trust. This month it announced the closure of the school (as well as the closure of another at Brigg, Lincolnshire), giving just six weeks’ notice. The trust claims the school is not profitable. How can parents either fight the closure decision or find suitable alternative school places in such a small time scale?

Vanessa Barratt, Retford

The UCST tells me that it is merging these two prep schools with other schools it owns because it has failed to halt a decline in pupil numbers. Its chief executive predicts “a smooth transition for pupils and staff”. Given the time scale there is nothing you can do other than seek an alternative education for your child.

What worries me in these situations is the suspicion that the decision to close the school is motivated by the prospect of profit from the sale of the capital asset. The UCST is, I am sure, behaving honourably, but sharp commercial practice by charitable trusts is not unknown in the world of independent education.

My nine-year-old son has struggled with his handwriting since year 2, when he moved from Wales to his primary school. I have bought him easy-to-grip pens and tried to encourage him but he hates me giving him writing practice to do at home. In his last spelling test some spellings were marked wrong (even though correct) as the teacher could not read his answers. Any suggestions? I feel that primary school is the place to get the basics right as I worry he won’t have time to concentrate on handwriting at secondary school.

Name withheld

Handwriting matters. Every child should be taught how to write legibly and stylishly when they start school. These lessons should then be reinforced consistently as pupils move up through the year groups. This clearly has not happened.

Make an appointment with his head teacher to see if extra support can be arranged; as you say, this is a problem that needs tackling now. There are also a number of websites such as www.primaryresources.co.uk that offer materials for work at home.

My name is James Buckley. I am 11 years old and run a campaign called Look for Loneliness (L4L). I came up with the idea after having had problems making friends at school. L4L is a pack for primary schools designed to help children understand what it is like to have no friends. More information can be found at www.lookforloneliness.co.uk. Could you tell your readers about it?

We do not normally do this, James, but I was impressed by what you have achieved. National AntiBullying Week took place this month and primary head teachers should certainly take a look at the excellent materials you produced.

Teachers and children all need to work together to ensure nobody has to spend playtimes on their own.

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, please 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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