A governor returns after a meeting to complain that a working girl is loitering outside the school. It’s only 3.45pm - a bit early for that sort of thing. I contemplate offering her the job of lollipop lady so she can at least be useful, but decide that she probably won’t be there long enough to make a difference.

Tuesday

A teaching assistant’s husband is approached by a girl as he waits for his wife outside school at 3.30pm. This is too early. I phone our community policeman to ask for advice. He gives me the phone number of a policewoman who deals with these things. I ask him what the politically correct term for a “working girl” is. Apparently, I can refer to them as “Toms” or sex workers. I make the call and my concerns are recorded.

Wednesday

I’m told that the police are due to perform a sweep of the area and that they’d be grateful if I could monitor the situation so they can act at the right time. They usually make a raid at 11pm but they may have to revise their plans if the girls are working earlier. Tom, the caretaker, and I decide to keep an incident log. We decide it’s best to refer to the women as working girls.

Thursday

A young woman is brought in by a parent who heard screams as she walked to school to collect her child. The woman had been dragged into the bushes as she walked past on her way to visit a friend. A man unknown to her attempted rape. We call the police and give her a cup of tea. The police come promptly and take her to identify a man seen running down Royal Parade. A note is made in our incident book.

Friday

There is an argument outside the school gates. We have already been warned that the ex-partner of a parent is not allowed to collect his children from school; there is a court injunction out against him. I arrange for the children to come to my office while I step outside to remind the warring pair that the children are inside. The man slopes away as I appear and the children are collected safely. I write the incident in the log and go home to watch The Bill.

Val Woollven is head of St Andrew’s C of E primary school, Plymouth