Shetland’s schools

SIR – I was interested in Yolanthe Fawehinmi’s feature (September 25) about the shortage of trained teaching staff in the UK.

I recently visited the Shetland Islands, where I spoke to local residents about their schooling. The population of about 23,000 live in villages scattered across the islands, most of which have a primary school. For secondary pupils there are two large schools, which they attend as weekly borders.

Amazingly, there are 29 schools across these remote islands, including the boarding schools. They seemed to be well-maintained, foreign languages are taught from the age of six and there are excellent sporting facilities.

The oil industry will have boosted the Shetlands’ economy, but it would appear that the UK’s educational funding is not being shared equally around the country.

John D Inman

Cullompton, Devon