As a former member of the National Union of Teachers I cannot help but notice the amount of time the union is willing to devote to those in senior positions in schools. I recall general secretary Doug McAvoy personally intervening in the case of a suspended head in Wales.

However, the union seems surprisingly reluctant to give the same degree of assistance to those of us who are rather more menial.

This is not just my own opinion but reflects more widely-held views.

When I complained about the actions of a line manager I was described by my local NUT representative as paranoid. Other colleagues were told that “rocking the boat means we all drown”.

Name and address supplied