Cross-country is child abuse according to Citizenship textbook Vimes: More evidence to support my growing belief that half the reason we have so many overweight and unfit kids is because so many of our own colleagues have such a poor attitude to sport.

S_f_t_t: Encouraging sport in schools ain’t going to help kids who are useless at it. Equally, non-competitive games don’t really help anyone. If we want to tackle issues of health and fitness, we need to forget sport and focus on things which actually develop fitness, eg weight training and cross country.

MrHardBastard: I am reminded of Ripping Yarns: Tomkinson’s School Days, which included the 50-mile hop and boys being nailed to the wall on St Tadger’s day ....

firmandfruity: Cross country was the best part of PE. It suited everyone; you could run fast and get back to use the showers before everyone else (thus avoiding the pervy PE teacher watching you) or go in the woods for an uninterrupted ciggy and saunter back at your own pace. Long before ridiculous health and safety “issues”, of course.

ARE ASSISTANTS paid less becAuse they are women?

Ballerina: Are assistants being denied a national pay scale because women’s work is undervalued?

Frances5: I don’t know about TAs but lab technicians have equal opportunities issues. Why in Hertfordshire is a school labtechnician often paid less than an IT technician?

Lilyofthefield: The job is open to both men and women. The pay could be advertised more clearly but the hours are short, holidays long, and responsibilities few.

Cornwell: The Government should scrap TAs, and just spend the money on more teachers.

Do you like the summer holidays? Is six weeks too long? Do you get loads done?

Themanwhowouldbeking: I’ve sorted out the garden, constructed a wardrobe and a cot, watched a second kid being born, read Inside the Third Reich and repainted the bedroom floors.

Lardylegs: Why the guilt trip about “doing work”? We are on holiday. We are allowed to doss about for six weeks. It’s OK to drink every night and stay up till 2am. This is the winding-down time we need badly. Do not think about work till the August Bank Holiday - it’s the law.

The above are all personal opinions