Maddie Chivers loves going to school so much she is going into print to save it.

The nine-year-old pupil of Temple Cowley Middle School, in Oxford, has written to the Oxford Mail protesting at its possible closure in a restructure of the city's schools.

Maddie, of Clive Road, Cowley, followed her mum Deborah's example by writing to us - and now she's set to appear in print as part of a special feature on the schools debate in the Mail on Thursday and Friday.

Her letter said: "My mum wrote to you about the school being closed and I am so cross about them wanting to close it that I am writing as well. I do not want my school to be closed. I am nine years old and I started at middle school in September and I love it!

"It is much better than my first school. In technology we have a workshop, an art room and a cookery room as well. "We also have a really big library and I do much more reading now because there are so many more books.

"If you do shut the middle schools, I think nine, ten and 11-year-olds would not like to go to school some days.

"I like it as well because I have lots of different teachers and in science we do lots of good things. Right now we are growing some seeds. The work is more interesting than at my old school and I enjoy it a lot more.

"So please! please! pleeeease!!! Don't shut the middle schools down!" Parents Neil, 40, and Deborah, 37, said they helped Maddie structure her letter but all the words were her own and she typed it herself.

Deborah said: "I helped her to make the letter a bit more formal but the words are all hers.

"When she first heard about this she was furious. Maddie is flourishing at the school. I think they should leave the system as it is because it works."

*Don't miss your Oxford Mail on Thursday and Friday for special features on the big school debate.

Story date: Tuesday 02 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.