Last six months worst in life, Radstock head teacher says

Ms Smith said while they are a caring profession "at some point somebody has to look after us"

A head teacher has described the last six months in school as being "the worst down moments of my life" amid Covid restrictions.

Nicola Smith, of St Nicholas primary school in Radstock, Somerset, said there had been a huge mental health impact on the teaching profession during the pandemic.

It comes amid rows over whether pupils should be returning to school.

The Department for Education said closing should only be a "last resort".

The National Education Union (NEU) is recommending teachers use safety legislation in order to stay away, against government advice.

Ms Smith said: "I'm known as a resilient person and I have had my worst down moments of my life in the last six months.

"We talk a lot about the mental health of children but the mental health of teaching staff and head teachers across the nation is as poor as I've ever seen it

"We are a caring profession but at some point somebody has to look after us."

The Bristol NEU said social distancing does not take place in school and educators have minimal PPE

Another primary school teacher from Bristol said the prospect of going back to work on skeleton staff was "terrifying".

She described the most recent term as "horrendous" and said she had nearly quit teaching multiple times, and was suffering from anxiety.

The year two teacher, who did not want to be named, said while she "did not feel right" not being there to support children in her classes, she would sign a letter under section 44 if she felt unsafe at work.

She said: "Our teacher Whatsapp group has been pinging all day with messages of confusion and stress."

While other teachers had voiced concerns, many remained "on the fence" about the NEU letters, she added.

In Bristol, some schools already had inset days planned for Monday, others have scheduled an emergency inset day and some will only be open for children of key workers for at least the next week.

Teachers 'on their knees'

A spokesman for Bristol NEU said while they "want nothing more" than to get back into the classroom, "schools are not safe".

"Schools are engines of Covid spread that threaten the life and health of students, their families, their communities, and educators," he said.

"The disruptions and ever-changing government directives have left many Bristol NEU members, from head teachers to teaching assistants, on their knees."

In Wiltshire, at least six primary schools, mostly in Swindon and one in Tidworth, have said they do not have enough staff to fully reopen classrooms.

In Somerset, county council leader David Fothergill said primary schools staying open was the right thing to do.

"This is not an easy decision, and it may change later in the week…but at this point the clear advice is that we should keep primary schools open, keep children in schools, particularly primary school children who are at greatest risk of disruption and of being vulnerable," he said.

In Gloucestershire, most schools are currently set to re-open although the NEU's Gloucestershire Secretary, Sarah Murphy, said she was expecting some local primary school teachers to stay at home.