Smartphone bans and fireworks – readers’ letters, plus daredevil flying at Halfpenny Green in 1973

PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: Swooping just feet above the grass, a biplane from the famous Rothmans Aerobatic Team threads the needle beneath a low bunting line held aloft by two figures - including one dressed in a monkey suit on the right - during rehearsals at Halfpenny Green Airfield in June 1973. Organised by the Barnstormers Flying Circus as a summer replacement for the Goodyear Air Races, the display promised a crowd-pleasing mix of daredevil precision flying and slapstick comedy both on the ground and in the skies. Do you remember watching the Rothmans Aerobatic Team or the Barnstormers Flying Circus in action at Halfpenny Green in the 1970s? | Express & Star archive

placeholder image — PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: Swooping just feet above the grass, a biplane from the famous Rothmans Aerobatic Team threads the needle beneath a low bunting line held aloft by two figures - including one dressed in a monkey suit on the right - during rehearsals at Halfpenny Green Airfield in June 1973. Organised by the Barnstormers Flying Circus as a summer replacement for the Goodyear Air Races, the display promised a crowd-pleasing mix of daredevil precision flying and slapstick comedy both on the ground and in the skies. Do you remember watching the Rothmans Aerobatic Team or the Barnstormers Flying Circus in action at Halfpenny Green in the 1970s? | Express & Star archive

Concerns about smartphone bans affecting visually impaired pupils, the impact of fireworks on people with lung conditions and a correction to an archive picture of Wolverhampton's Five Ways Island

Concerns over ban on phones

Following the announcement that smartphones are to be banned from pupils’ bags or pockets in schools in England, the RNIB is concerned a blanket ban could disadvantage children and young people with vision impairment.

Research shows that pupils with vision impairment achieve, on average, 33 per cent lower attainment than their peers, and the sight loss charity says every effort must be made to close this gap.

Smartphones are an essential accessibility tool for many pupils with vision impairment, particularly where tablets are not available. Screen readers, magnification apps and colour contrast settings help students access the same information as their classmates.

Children and young people with vision impairment are entitled to the same access to learning as their peers, but sadly this is not always the case. A blanket ban risks leaving some without an essential tool to help them learn and reach their full potential.

Government guidance makes clear that schools must make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils under the Equality Act. This means blanket bans should not override a student's need to use their own device where it is necessary because of their disability. Removing that access risks putting pupils with vision impairment at a significant disadvantage.

We urge the Government and schools to make explicit exemptions to any mobile phone ban for pupils with vision impairment, in line with existing guidance. Without these reasonable adjustments, students risk being excluded from learning – not because of their ability, but because the tools they rely on have been taken away.

Aarifah Karim, RNIB

Fireworks not good for air

My wife suffers from COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. For the last two nights the air purifier which normally helps her to breathe has been registering 10. A very high level of air pollution. Caused we believe by fireworks which were being set off nearby. I beg those who enjoy celebrating with fireworks to consider residents with lung conditions. Smoke from fireworks can increase breathing difficulties. Please do not let off fireworks near houses.

Name and address supplied

Picture was not Vine Island

The Picture from the Archive of the roundabout at Five Ways Island is fascinating, especially to see all the changes in just one picture. However, it was never known as the Vine Island, which is actually more than two miles north on the Stafford Road at it's junction with Wobaston Road.

Trevor Howard, Wolverhampton

You can enjoy other pictures from the past and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here

Have an opinion? We want to hear from you.

Share your views by writing to Readers’ Letters at [email protected]

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity or style.

Do you have a picture from the past to share?

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have an old photograph, need help identifying a street or recognise a familiar face, send your images to [email protected]

Please include your name, where you are from and as much information as possible about the photograph. We will publish as many as we can online and in print.