MY wife and I have lived close to St Peter's School for 30 years and during recent times have seen sensible improvements made to fences and lighting for better security.

Where risk to students at any school increases, then measures need to be taken to minimise that risk, but it would be naive to imagine that all risk at all times could be eliminated.

I would be interested to know the average number of incidents reported to North Yorkshire Police at large schools in York with similar open grounds to those of St Peter's.

St Peter's has good fences, hedges and gates to all its boundaries, with the exception of the area immediately behind the school from the archway of the public footpath to the hedged footpath linking with the footpath from Westminster Road to Queen Anne's Road.

The area between the archway and the hedged footpath is approximately 15 metres and I could understand a decision by the school to erect gated railings over this short distance to overcome their concerns. But I am totally opposed to the closure of the public footpath.

Given the school's attitude, I would expect its next move to be the closure of the public footpath between Westminster Road and Queen Anne's Road which would provide them with uninterrupted grounds between the old school and their bargain acquisition of Queen Anne School.

As a founder and vice-president of the St Peter's School Foundation, I am not impressed with the letter of Edward Denison and believe that Councillor King is doing what he is in office for, to express the views of the ward he is elected to.

Alan and Jean Dickinson,

Greencliffe Drive,

Clifton Green, York.

Updated: 08:58 Wednesday, October 13, 2004