As the former chair of governors at Jubilee primary school, where Kemi Badenoch was a governor, I am shocked that she can say resources can be saved from “superfluous support staff and peripheral activities” in schools (Culture warrior Kemi Badenoch is already a winner with Tory right, 13 July).
As she will know from her time at the school, which serves some of the most deprived parts of Brixton, south London, there are no superfluous support staff. Teaching assistants play a vital role in aiding teachers in classes where many of the children come from highly disadvantaged backgrounds and need all the help they can get. Some are allocated to specific children as part of their educational needs assessment. There are no unnecessary office staff.
