Schools now have a legal duty to do all they can to prevent extremism. This, along with responsibility for the academic, emotional, moral, social, cultural and spiritual development of hundreds, possibly thousands of students, pushes the role of teacher from a deliverer of knowledge close to the realms of magician. And while many of my colleagues would agree that the reality of our jobs is laughably beyond their written descriptions, I’m glad that that’s the state of affairs in which I find myself.

There is a popular internet meme which states “I teach. What’s your superpower?” Sometimes it feels as though you need to perform miracles in order to fulfil the role expected of you. These high expectations do not come from ill intentions or a deliberate decision to overburden teachers. Rather, they are often a result of people’s desire to improve the lot of the children that we work with. There is nothing negative about wanting to spot special educational needs, support children experiencing family difficulties or help those with caring responsibilities.