£15 million is to be spent rebuilding Five Acres College at Steam Mills. Perhaps I should be pleased – but.

None of the secondary schools in the heart of the Forest – Lydney (Dean Academy), Coleford (Lakers), Cinderford (Forest Academy) or Mitcheldean (Dean Magna) – has its own sixth form.

At schools with sixth forms, the majority of pupils choose to stay on at their current school where they know the staff who will teach them.

Why are Forest kids being denied a choice that students elsewhere take for granted?

According to Wikipedia, there are 39 secondary schools in Gloucestershire of which all but nine have a sixth form.

Of these, four are located in the Gloucester and Dursley areas which have chosen to retain grammar schools.

Of the remaining five, four are concentrated in a black hole in the heart of the Forest.

This is the one place in Gloucestershire where, without travelling out of area, there is no choice of school with a sixth form and only one choice of further education provision (Five Acres).

Hence the daily tide of pupils leaving the Forest to attend schools with sixth forms elsewhere, adding to the congestion on our overloaded road network.

What difference would rebuilding Five Acres make to this ? None.

What is required is a drastic 'hole in the heart' operation, not just a face-lift.

The £15 million should be spent on providing sixth form centres at our Forest schools.

The perfectly adequate facilities at Five Acres could and should remain and continue to provide a worthwhile alternative.

But dream on, this is another choice we are not going to be offered isn't it?

– Peter Tonks, Flaxley.

(Editor's note): We should point out that Wyedean at Sedbury has a sixth form and is in the Forest of Dean District Council area.