over his controversial school reforms.

Last night they slammed a Government letter defending the reforms -- and agreed to send a delegation to lobby the Hon. Gerald Simons.

Top of the agenda will be ensuring secondary schools offer an equal curriculum by September.

This would rid the current "pecking order'' in secondary education.

Parents will also demand a cast-iron commitment summer school programmes will not be axed.

It was agreed as well to hold a second meeting with Mr. Simons and Education officials.

This time Mr. Simons would hear worries over his reforms at a general gathering of PTAs.

The decisions were taken last night at a one-and-a-half-hour National PTA meeting at Peace Lutheran Church Hall in Paget.

Just 18 people defied the rain to attend a meeting punctuated by ill-tempered protests over procedure.

At the outset National PTA president Mrs. Marian Askia mounted a withering attack on a Government letter defending the reforms.

The letter -- written following the protest march on Parliament by parents and teachers -- had been signed by Mr. Simons, the Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan, and Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul.

But Mrs. Askia said she was not impressed or swayed by the signatures.

"The letter appeared to be a lot of words. And that is all it is. A lot of rhetoric.

"It is an attempt to pacify you. They are not going to do anything. Nothing leads me to believe they are taking any action or taking the teachers and parents who marched seriously,'' she said.

Mrs. Askia also revealed the sub-committee formed to organise the protest march was being retained to act as an "education watchdog''.

Among a host of concerns raised last night were: Parental confusion over the proposed restructuring, and the importance of improving information; Raising standards of secondary schools to meet Bermuda College entry requirements; Unruly pupil behaviour at Whitney Institute and Northlands; No toilet paper and soap at Whitney Institute; and Lack of Spanish text books at Berkeley.