Sir, – I have always been opposed to the existence of private schools. I believe them to be one of the main causes of inequality and unfairness in society. I would support any political party pledged to eliminate such institutions.

My wife and I spent our working lives teaching in state schools. We are now in our 66th years and retired.

Our daughters, 39 and 41 years of age, are well educated in the state sector and qualified at university.

So it was a great surprise for my wife to receive an invitation for her and her family to join Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Foundation, whatever that is, at their open day.

The information sheets included in the invitation were poorly presented and confusing so if we were remotely close to the point of sending our daughters to one of the parts of the school I would have had many questions to ask to clarify the details on the sheets.

Joke of all jokes in all of this information is the claim that Ethelburga’s is not a “hot house” yet at the same time feels the need to have a “college” for the more able students and a “faculty” for the others.

Such enquiries would be out of the question however as far as I’m concerned as it would be inequitable to try to buy a perceived advantage for my children at the possible disadvantage of others whose parents could not afford the fees asked.

The invitation and sheets were clearly wrongly directed to our family.

How many others have been sent such information?

The private sector clearly wastes its money.

However, one fortunate feature of the map of the catchment area for school boarders is the failure to name any of the settlements in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Could it be that that no one has fallen for these promotional documents in the Dales?

JOHN HOPKINS Hunter’s Close Carperb, Leyburn