Which brain donor sanctioned such a divisive, misleading, discouraging and downright wrong headline? For this to appear in staffrooms across the country at the start of an academic year must be dispiriting, to say the least, to an over-worked, highly committed and seriously underpaid workforce.

I agree that the most difficult children are usually given to the least trained and most junior staff. My experience, however, is that these potentially disruptive souls make incredible progress owing to the hard work of very dedicated teaching assistants.

Of course, these young people would be better off with a trained professional to teach them. Yes, there is no substitute for a good teacher.

I would love to have a trained teacher instead of each and every one of my excellent TAs. But who is going to fund a fairly well-paid teacher to work one-to-one with so many children?

• Joe McSorley, Headteacher, CEVC Primary School, Suffolk.