Gospel Oak School

• IT was distressing to read the article on Gospel Oak School, (Parents pay twice for school trips to make sure all pupils can go, May 4).

John Hayes, head­teacher of Gospel Oak School, was speaking at a council meeting and said “families on and below the poverty line were now regularly using the food bank in the school”.

His raising a fundamental concern for many Camden residents contrasts starkly with Camden Council’s ease at spending thousands of pounds not far away on a new name for the Swain’s Lane roundabout. This was carried out efficiently by Camden without proper consultation.

Mr Hayes raises the concern that Gospel Oak School’s running costs are outstripping funding from government. Did Swain’s Lane need thousands of pounds spent on it, while Gospel Oak School struggles to support families on the poverty line and rising maintenance costs?

I was part of the first intake at Gospel Oak School when it opened in September 1952. The school was a delight with its open playground, airy windowed classrooms and easy-access loos. My three children attended the school from 2007 to 2012 enjoying the excellent teaching, music, lessons and sport classes.

From those inspirational beginnings the seeds were sown for them all to go on to university, one at medical school, the second studying electrical engineering, and the third reading for a joint-honours in history and English.

Thank you Gospel Oak School for what you have given to us as a family, and Camden’s community.

I’m not sure that altering the name of Swain’s Lane’s historic roundabout at enormous cost to the taxpayer will give back to our community as much as Gospel Oak School’s pupils have over its 71 years of history.

The school should be funded properly by the council.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, N6