My heart bled to read your report last week on the difficulties faced by school leaders “supporting” probationers. One unnamed mentor felt moved to remark: “That girl was damaging my children every time she walked through the door.”

Given that the probationer in question was almost certainly an adult woman, dare I suggest that much of the problem lay in the infantilising attitude of the supposed mentor? What is clear is that an awful lot of work is necessary to teach those who run Scotland’s schools that motivating adults requires very different skills from managing children.

I would welcome an article from the perspective of a bullied probationer, especially the “girl”. Teachers in training are not in a strong position to seek justice through the grievance procedure.

James Forbes, Corstorphine High Street, Edinburgh.