I AM incensed by the comments of a Scottish Government spokesman that "all teachers are expected to support vulnerable pupils" ("Specialist teacher numbers fall by 16% in five years", The Herald, March 15). Of course we are more than capable of supporting vulnerable pupils but we also have to educate all the children in the class which is sometimes impossible to do if you are dealing with a child who is distraught, disruptive and sometimes aggressive (not only to the teacher but to other children).

Often these children are overwhelmed by the daily routines of school but could cope much better if they had one-to-one support – this support is rarely available. The conveniently anonymous spokesman obviously has never been anywhere near a mainstream class to observe how challenging it can be for vulnerable children, other pupils and staff. I urge him to do so before any more glib comments are made.

HJ Thomson,

122 Ormonde Avenue, Netherlee, Glasgow.

I AM very grateful to The Herald for its consistent commitment to high-quality coverage of the arts, and in particular for reporting the threat to musical instrument tuition in schools in several council areas across Scotland.

Regarding today’s article ("West Lothian Council plans to cut instrument tuition", The Herald, March 14), for the sake of full clarity, I would like to emphasise that many more than the 15 strings players who joined the protesters at council HQ on Tuesday will be affected.

West Lothian Council recommends the axing of tuition for 562 primary and high school pupils who play a variety of percussion and stringed instruments, and the disbanding of their area ensembles. In the report presented to the council’s education executive, the move is being justified on the basis of minimising poverty. However, it is clear from the same report that this spells the end of tuition for 88 pupils who come from deprived backgrounds.

Thérèse Stewart,

61 Deanburn Park,

Linlithgow.