“For the next few days can we have one out, all out at changeovers and break times please.” As the email from the school’s vice principal pings into my inbox, the thousand-plus-pupils’ cauldron which is the inner-city school where I work in north London is simmering.

We’re tired and tetchy, a few days away from the Easter holidays. We need a break. Added to which, in the academy where I’m a middle leader, more than half the school – me included – has been observing the Ramadan fast. Having a presence on every staircase and corridor and keeping consistent standards including basics like the wearing of the school uniform is vital, lest things boil out of control.