There’s no guarantee of a rose garden on the road to recovery

Keir Starmer gives a speech in the rose garden at 10 Downing Street on 27 August. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Before it was a song, the words “I never promised you a rose garden” (Letters, 29 August) belonged to the kindly psychoanalyst Dr Fried in the eponymous semi-autobiographical novel by Hannah Green. She wished to convey to her young patient that there was no guarantee that the road to recovery would be a pleasant one. Indeed, things might have to get worse before they got better.
Rosy Lovelady
Tilehurst, Berkshire

• As a retired secondary school teacher, I note that one suggestion for the long-overdue reform of Ofsted is that “new regional teams will work with institutions to address areas of weakness” (Report, 2 September). I’ve got an idea: let’s call these regional teams “local education authorities” and their staff “advisers”.
Ruth Eversley
Paulton, Somerset