I’m writing to you to discuss the students of City and Islington College and the college itself, writes Ellie Wacks, City and Islington College student

Despite your story, there is a lot we offer here and often the assets of the C&I community are lost by the small few that shed a bad light on our establishment.

We pride ourselves in our open-minded, accepting attitudes. We make it our responsibility to ensure every individual, ethnic group and student feels at home and comfortable with us. Students from all over London attend our college, creating a culturally and geographically diverse community.

On enrolling in the college each student takes a test to determine whether extra support is needed. The college offers mental health support and with our drop-in clinic we assure the best possible safeguarding for all our students. We have a careers advisor to help students with Ucas and their routes into the future. Not only that, but we organise university trips so that students get the best possible information to make decisions.

With many extra-curricular activities and summer schools, our college is prepared to bring its students to the next level of learning. Proof of this is that 20 per cent of our A-level graduates move on to Russell Group universities.

We have many facilities and resources that provide our students with all the support they could ever want. No matter what your financial state or personal identity is, you will be welcomed and accepted into our college.

Contrary to what the video shows, we, the students, are actually good and moderate subjects of Her Majesty, the Queen, writes Abdurahman Abdullahi, C&I student.

What a few spoiled apples evidently did is not representative of the broader majority of the students of this noble sixth form. It is the belief of the most intelligent philosophers that the idea that human beings capture evil relatively quicker than good proves how incompetent your reporting on the sixth form has been.

During my thorough investigation into the Gazette I have come to the conclusion that the only way to show how lacklustre and boring your reports have been is to present evidence of the good this righteous college has done. Let me ask you this, my journalist rival. Is it not true that when the sixth form of City and Islington was claimed to have excellent results there was no report of that in your cheap and scrappy papers? [No, it isnt true. Read our A-level results coverage last year – ed] Is it not true that there have been no reports regarding the 20 per cent of the college who went on to join Russell Group universities? [This figure is contradicted by the college’s own website – ed]

To be honest, I don’t blame you. I guess you have to be in position to report evil in humanity to gain somewhat of a publication.

The danger poor air quality poses to residents both in Islington and across London is nothing short of a public health crisis, writes Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington’s environment boss.

I welcome the attention the Gazette has brought to this important issue.

Islington Council has been at the forefront of developing pioneering, innovative policies to tackle poor air quality where we have opportunities to. From introducing the UK’s first 20mph speed limits on all council-managed roads, to the introduction of the diesel surcharge on residents’ parking permits, to tackling idling hotspots with the threat of fines – we have made bold, often initially unpopular decisions to tackle the growing threat from air pollution, despite cuts to our government funding that will reach 70 per cent in a decade by 2020.

We have also pushed forward schemes to install more electric charging points and made it easier for people to walk and cycle.

We agree more needs to be done to tackle air pollution, but we cannot solve air pollution alone. The majority of harmful pollutants in our borough come from buses and lorries travelling through Islington, and we need action from higher levels of government. That is why, in response to his latest consultation on air quality, we have called for the mayor of London to ban diesel vehicles from the capital.

Happy spring! writes Will McCallum, Newington Green.

Winter is finally over: as of Monday we can celebrate the most exciting season of the year. Here are five things I’ll be looking forward to this spring:

Birdsong – the most incredible bit of spring in my opinion. The birds are back in song already and there will be more and more birdsong throughout the spring. Hackney Marshes is particularly good (skylarks and chiffchaffs already this year), but anywhere near an open green space or body of water and you’re likely to hear some of spring’s arrivals.

Baby animals at Hackney City Farm – nothing so cute as the balls of fluff you can see down at the farm. Perfect for taking your young relatives to.

Blossom – my goodness, it’s everywhere. I can barely walk down my street without having my face caressed by falling petals. The smell, the bees, the colours and the glamorous feeling of walking down petal-strewn pavements – blossom is a real spring highlight.

Wild Weekend Free Festival at Woodberry Down (April 29 and 30) – this is just an amazing event. Loads of workshops, activities and displays and an excuse to visit one of the borough’s best wildlife hotspots.

Spring colours at Islington Ecology Centre, Gillespie Park – as well as the blossom and amazing array of plants, Islington Ecology Centre plays host to loads of butterflies and dragonflies which will start to make an appearance over spring. Well worth a visit.