ON Thursday I, like many hundreds of other parents in the Forest, will be forced to lose a day's pay so that I can look after my child whilst her teachers use her education as a bargaining tool in their negations with the Gov­ern­­ment.

I'm not completely without sympathy for her teachers, but I'm pretty sure they earn more than I do, and certainly they get better holidays. And, as a single parent, I can't afford a private pension myself so I make no apology for not being able to fully identify with their cause.

The questionable standard of teaching in some Forest schools has been widely reported in the local press over the last 12 months or so, and it may be that teachers feel they have little to lose by tarnishing their reputations further, but it doesn't have to be this way. Quite simply, in 2011, there are better ways of doing things.

– Name and address supplied.