Why is The TESS going along with the Government’s spin that it will all be OK when the promised jobs for probationers show up (June 29)? Why don’t you tell the truth? Many of this year’s unemployed ex- probationers will find supply work, or will choose to leave the profession. By the time the promised new jobs materialise, there will be another tranche of ex-probationers. Isn’t it time that pressure was brought to bear on the local authorities to release jobs that are not being filled (or being incorrectly filled by probationers)? Many new teachers were trained because some older teachers were expected to retire, yet the authorities (mine, anyway) issued a circular saying that the older teachers could not get early retirement under favourable conditions. Empty jobs continue to be filled by long-term supply, or by probationers, instead of being advertised. One local authority, which shall remain nameless, even brought primary headteachers out of retirement instead of promoting existing staff and freeing jobs for new teachers for a couple of schools. If The TESS won’t embarrass the local authorities and the Government into doing something about a situation that shows no real signs of improvement, then who will be brave enough? (We were one of the first newspapers to expose the difficulties facing probationers who had completed their induction year, as far back as December 12, 2003 Editor)