Essex headteacher Davina Lloyd said: “I just don’t think that anybody is out there at the moment of any calibre.” William Atkinson, head of Phoenix school in London, said: “The standard of applicants has plummeted.” This is the last thing you want to read when you are a good teacher desperately looking for the right job.

The recruitment crisis only affects certain subject areas, not mine. I am a PE and dance teacher and just can’t seem to get a job.

There are many graduates applying for thesame posts and it is down to luck if you can land a job. I have had several interviews and comments during debriefing ranged from the colour of my hair to “you’ve been doing supply teaching for a long time, I question your commitment to teaching as a career”!

I trained hard for four years and gained a very good degree. I know I am a good teacher but I am wondering if I should continue looking for a job.

Don’t tar us all with the same brush. There are excellent teachers out there doing supply to pay the bills and wishing more than anything in the world that we could be in a permanent post.

J Nichols 40 Parsonage Road Cranleigh Surrey