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It would be a pity if your readers were left with the impression that Manchester's school of education is moving away from its traditional interests in British education ("Dynamic duo head south", THES, December 22);

on the contrary we remain a school with a very wide range of educational expertise that includes initial teacher training at primary and secondary level in a number of specialisms, special needs, English language studies, audiology, social ethics, formative assessment, educational management, ethnic studies, leisure management, curriculum policy, together with health, adult, higher, media and distance education. Naturally, as one of the most international of British education departments we continue to interweave our important work in British education with our outstanding international activities.

I should also not want your readers to be left with the impression that the centre for education and employment is leaving Manchester with Professor Smithers.

He will naturally want to establish a centre with a similar designation at Brunel, but we intend to maintain our momentum in this important field. I am only too pleased that Brunel may benefit from some small part of the research assessment exercise's grade 5 which we established for the school in 1992, and to which his and Dr Robinson's work contributed, but equally I think it necessary to correct the impression that there is a grade 5 attached to this particular centre, which is only one of the 14 which collectively established our current "5" rating.

Roger Iredale Professor and director of the school of education University of Manchester