Sometimes we would get to the school gate but he just couldn't go through He would become pale, and start shaking from head to foot It was so physical He would break down and become a trembling heap His voice would become terribly small, cracked and strained. He was clearly consumed by anxiety."The school was very supportive, but set a deadline for the end of the term. They said, 'You're part of the school community and we want you here' He liked that, being wanted. To reintroduce him, over two or three weeks, the school nurse met us off the premises and took him over the threshold until he could do this himself He wanted to get through it.
Later on, he became anxious about being bullied, though he'd never been a victim, and even now he gets worried about school trips away."What helped him was for me to really understand where he was coming from, and to say that even though you're feeling this way, we just have to get through to the other side Later, growing bigger certainly helped. He now manages his anxieties, and knows how to stay on top.". It was a chance remark, but it spoke volumes about New Labour's order of priorities. Quizzed about the Government's attitude towards teacher-union opposition to its latest initiatives, a senior aide said: "Yes, but what do the headteachers think?" It was a chance remark, but it spoke volumes about New Labour's order of priorities. Quizzed about the Government's attitude towards teacher-union opposition to its latest initiatives, a senior aide said: "Yes, but what do the headteachers think?" New Labour has always recognised it needed the support of headteachers to drive through its reforms.
The same would be true of any government taking office on 8 June.That is why, despite the fact that most of the attention will be on the general election campaign next week, the eyes of senior education strategists in the parties will be turned on Harrogate from Tuesday where the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) meets for its annual conference.David Hart, its general secretary, is in no doubt about what the two big issues of the week will be teacher shortages and the need for a new contract not just for teachers but for heads as well to reduce workload."A British international school in Europe advertised recently for a deputy head for its junior section," he says. "It guaranteed in the advert a maximum 50 per cent teaching timetable. There would be dozens of deputy heads in this country who would give their right arms for that 50 per cent timetable."The talks on the new contract, set up by the Government just a few days before the election, were triggered by industrial action from the two biggest teachers' unions, the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT). In fact, eyebrows were raised when the headteachers were invited into the discussions.
