There is nothing new about giving primary school children careers advice and motivation (Children as young as five in England target of new careers programme, 5 January). When I was six, my teacher told me that if I didn’t learn to spell properly I would never get a good job. My reply, that when working I would have a secretary and therefore not need to spell, was not seen as evidence of high aspiration.
Ian Sissling
Otley, West Yorkshire
• Re Rishi Sunak’s conversation with Dean, a homeless man, in a shelter (Letters, 2 January), I recall listening to a resident teaching ancient Greek to the manager of a fantastic project near Chancery Lane in London, run by St Mungo’s. He’d been a classics teacher in a former life. Every rough sleeper has a backstory.
Helen Keats
Former national rough sleeping adviser
• Last week, I received a reply in the post to my two recent brief letters (8 December; 25 December). It had my name, followed by “the Bread Sauce Preservation Society” and my village and county. It took 20 days to reach me, which, given the sparsity of the address, is a credit to the Post Office. There now is another member, welcome Steve. Brief letters brighten my day, every day.
Gill Empson
Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire
• On 5 January, I received a Christmas card that was posted first-class in North Yorkshire on 7 December. Is this a record?
Graham Russell
Market Drayton, Shropshire
• Did any of the people pictured skiing on artificial snow in Gstaad (6 January) use air travel to get there? If so, how wonderfully ironic.
Hazel Pennington
Bath
