Sir.-Regarding "Row erupts over school setback" in Monday's Gazette, I have been a governor at both Four Lanes and Great Binfields schools since before their respective openings.

For a long time I have also had a deep involvement with admission arrangements which - from the start - has been a very thorny issue at both school sites.

As the local education authority, Hampshire County Council has often been distinctly unimaginative in handling rising demand for the schools on the Four Lanes site.

However, that has been much less the case as regards Great Binfields School, where it has been central government dictat which has intruded on the prudent and forward-thinking approach of both Hampshire and the school governors.

I am concerned that a topic which is extremely important to many Chineham residents is seemingly being hijacked by parliamentary candidates for party political point-scoring.

The relevant governing boards of the three Chineham schools have hardly had a chance to reach a considered view. It is surely the governors who are best placed to assess the issues and the impact on local households.

It would appear that the party political enthusiasts are not fully conversant with the details of the local situation.

The loss of a school at Taylor's Farm (Sherfield Park is merely a transient developer's name for the development and, for historical reasons, confusing), would be very unfortunate. However, the viability of the project was always questionable given the criteria for funding of new school buildings.

While having many short-comings, the basic framework has existed for a long time and has been maintained by both Labour and Conservative parties.

Equally, all three larger political parties have long followed procedures which avoid children being provided with school transport at public expense.

This has led to a number of schools - and the Four Lanes schools are an example - having rather bizarre catchment areas.

The proposals under offer are certainly likely to disadvantage a few households which currently benefit from a modest walking distance to the Four Lanes site, (although rather too many parents within the catchment area drive to the schools despite the reasonable proximity).

However, at least one road, which has long been a matter of local contention, might now finish up within the newly-drawn Four Lanes boundary.

Many other roads, which are currently served by a difficult-to-reach school well outside Chineham, might now find themselves being served by a Chineham school that is not only nearer but also part of the same community, thus leading to better links with playgroups and other local child centred activities.

While not welcoming all aspects of the current proposals, I feel this is not a moment for headline grabbing, but rather more for constructive joint local working and, hopefully, making sure that there are very few - if any - losers in the end.

-Martin Biermann, Reading Road, Chineham.