I DO hope now that Whitecross School has been granted Academy Status, the standard of education will improve from the abysmal reports from Ofsted over the past few years.

Several young people who attended Whitecross over the years said it was basically "elite."

If your family didn't have money for you to go on educational trips or exchange student travel to France or Germany, teachers did not try to find out why pupils couldn't go, but labelled them, sarcastically, "You'll never widen your horizons if you don't travel" – shop jobs or the dole will be for you, you can hardly read, write English or understand maths, so college would be a waste of time!

There appeared to be no discipline at Whitecross, and still doesn't, with pupils coming and going as they like, choosing whatever subject they wish and no education officer checking up. Why?

In bygone years, teachers were called "Sir" or "Miss", earning respect, never giving up on those pupils slower than others!

I just hope that becoming an Academy will be the answer, but with Prospect Academy Trust taking over the running of the former school, I think, though I may be wrong, that "profit" will be the objective (via the taxpayer) – so let us see what year 2013 examinations will show and then judge.

Incidentally why Dean for Whitecross? The name would surely be more appropriate for Cinderford's Heywood.

Lydney, as our town history shows, was a Roman settlement with a sea-port of some note. Many artefacts of the Roman period are at the museum at Lydney Manor House.

Lydney was never part of the Forest of Dean, only becoming part of it in 1974, where the district councils of East Dean, West Dean, Newent and Lydney were amalgamated to form the Forest of Dean District Council.

A respected councillor of many years standing has resigned from the board of governors because he thinks Prospect Academy Trust governors will be the majority on the board.

Sir Bruce Liddington, director general of E-AC (formerly Heywood) gave a glowing report for its future. Is he also a director of Prospect Academy Trust or are the two academies separate entities or part and parcel of the same group under different logos?

Finally, will the academies be accountable to Ofsted? I hope so!

– P.M. Taylor.