Teachers missing....Headteachers forced to mend desks and unblock toilets, after cuts in England

The Guardian reported this week two disturbing news items. Firstly, that there was a, 'A desperate teacher recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools across the country are struggling to put a qualified teacher at the front of every class, unions say'. So Teaching Assistants are routinely being used to cover teachers.

Another TA, working in a primary school in the north-west, said: “When we were doing training, we were aware there would be occasional times – if a teacher goes home poorly – we might have to step in. But not to this extent. It all comes down to money. If schools were given a proper budget, there would be adequate support.”

Secondly, it is so bad, according to the Guardian, that Headteachers have had to make a personal, painful choice to make. 'School leaders in England said they could not afford to employ caretakers, and were having to change lightbulbs and clear playgrounds of dead rats themselves'.