IN REPLY to the letter from Mr and Mrs Anderson about school transport, which refers to QE (Courier, February 14), I would like to point out that Local Authorities are only obliged to provide school transport to the local school.

Providing this service currently costs Devon well over £20m.

If parents choose to send their children to another school, which they are perfectly entitled to do, then it is very clear that they are responsible for meeting the costs of this transport and for making their own arrangements.

As my school has been mentioned in somewhat pejorative terms in this letter, I would like to point out that QE has been inspected this term under the new, more rigorous Ofsted regime and found to be "Good" in every category and "Outstanding" in the Sixth Form.

We are also in the top 100 schools in the country for sustained improvement in the key GCSE measure – our results aren't declining.

We also offer superb extra curricular opportunities and a broad and extensive curriculum both at GCSE and A level, both things we are able to do because of our size.

I therefore think that parents who live anywhere in our catchment area can have every confidence in the quality and range of what we offer at QE and may discover they have no need to go anywhere else to obtain an excellent education for their children, all the way from the age of 11 to 18.

Richard Newton Chance

Principal

QE Academy Trust

Crediton