Letter: A lesson in excellence and European ideals

Sir: Leonard Doyle writes that I believe Culham school to be 'an expensive waste of time'. What I said was that I do not think this school system - being a pilot project - can be transferred to ordinary national schools. I also told Mr Doyle that there are certainly some good aspects to be taken into other international school systems, but one could not yet judge on the final overall outcome.

I did not say that the school system is a failure, considering that no other schools have taken up our approach. I said that there are cheaper models of similar schools available and already in practice (for example, in the border areas between France and Germany). I stressed that our school has a number of children from well-off families, but that it is and always will be our aim to have a good number of other pupils from other backgrounds.

Yours sincerely,

G. SCHWABE

Senior Counsellor

European School Culham

Abingdon, Oxfordshire