Was on Sky News yesterday speaking about the teacher shortages from Covid and as ever, I spoke to teacher and Head friends to get an idea of what's going on with them across the country before I speak.
We have a lot of schools as clients so it's easy to get opinions, to add to my thinking, but yesterday because of how bleak some situations were, some school leaders never got back to me until later in the afternoon.
So I gave this interview in full good faith, but the stats and stories I got later in the day were shocking. 3 of the Heads told me they couldn't reply as they were teaching all day to cover absent staff and one school told me they were 50% down on staff. FIFTY. Jesus.
Don't know if I'd even have said that had I known it because that is heartbreaking. Really feeling for school colleagues, this will boil over into something very difficult.
That's why I end with a plea to be patient and support schools. Thank you, colleagues, thank you so very much.
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