Will Andy Burnham’s plan to retool education work? | Letters

Readers on the prime minister’s attempt to put academic and technical education routes on an equal footing in England I find the debate about the purported conflict between academic and technical education baffling and somewhat amusing (Burnham to tell schools in England to adapt teaching to local business needs, 28 July). In the 1950s, I attended Northampton technical high school. I studied the sciences plus English, French and technical (engineering) drawing to GCE level. I also did hands-on workshops in woodwork, metalwork and leatherwork (Northampton being a traditional shoemaking town). At A-level, I passed physics, chemistry and double maths, and studied physics at Leeds University. I also sang in choirs. My subsequent career in international business systems took me through manufacturing companies, consultancy and ultimately university teaching. I also sang in a cathedral choir for 50 years. I never found the academic, practical and artistic worlds mutually exclusive. So a useful model that we’ve perhaps lost: back to the 1950s!Graham WarrenCoventry Andy Burnham’s desire to revive vocational education is very welcome and long overdue (Andy Burnham’s plans for tech