Why no dinner lady dames?

2nd July 2004, 1:00am

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Why no dinner lady dames?

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/why-no-dinner-lady-dames
Once again the Queen’s birthday honours List (TES, June 18) is dominated by heads, executives and chief executives.

No classroom teacher, teaching assistant or dinner lady gets a look in the top three honours: divisions: knighthood, CBE, or OBE). Down in the MBE division 4 we get a smattering of hoi polloi: eight classroom teachers, two school crossing wardens, two cooks, two caretakers, a secretary and a teaching assistant.

However, all bar two of the 20 headteachers cited are in the top three divisions.

As in all aspects of life in our society this reflects the importance, prestige and higher salaries heaped on those in the so- called “leadership” category.

Are they in fact worth any more or less than the rest of us?

The recent D-Day celebrations illustrated how that great endeavour and achievement was based on the blood, sweat and intelligence of the infantry.

David Cross 32 Canterbury Terrace Leicester

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