Letter: Pushy parents

In a disturbing study, Leicester University has found that deterring "pushy" parents is a huge mistake, since they are the critical factor in a school's success.

Examining data from the National Child Development Study which follows 17,000 people born in 1958 throughout their lives, they uncovered an unexpected phenomenon.

They found that a child's propensity to try hard at school is not greatly influenced by its socio-economic background but that does affect the performance of the staff.

It is surely deplorable that teachers are so much more likely to be conscientious when faced with vocal and demanding professional ("pushy") parents than less advantaged ones.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews, Fife