‘Damaging’ and ‘hurtful’ - Reception teacher slams comments made about Notts teachers

She was responding to comments by the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council

A Nottinghamshire teacher has hit out at comments about her profession made by the leader of the county council, labelling them ‘demeaning, rude and disappointing’.

Sarah Evans is a reception-year teacher at Brookside Primary, in East Leake, and has been a teacher for 11 years, after previously working in banking.

She, like many others in her profession, has worked during the crisis, educating the children of key workers, supporting those not at school and now preparing classrooms for the return to be as safe as possible.

However she has hit back at comments made by Councillor Kay Cutts, the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, that teachers should: “Pay back a little bit for everybody else keeping the shops going, hospitals being open, police being open.”

In the same interview, given last week, Conservative Councillor Cutts also acknowledged most schools had stayed open, and they had been ‘absolutely wonderful’ at taking the children of key workers.

Mrs Evans, from East Leake, wrote to the leader of the council and said: “I’m not alone among my teaching colleagues when I say how out of touch this comment is.

“How incredibly demeaning, rude and disappointing it is to read this.

“How concerning it is that a leader is so unaware of how much the teaching community has been 'paying into’ their communities during this pandemic, we most certainly haven’t been taking anything out.

“As Councillor Cutts states in her comments, schools have continued to be open during the last few weeks but that is only a very small part of our work.

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“We have been tasked in reaching out to our families to help with childcare, stepping in to provide before and after school care for those that needed it because they couldn’t make alternative arrangements, taking pre school siblings when nurseries have been closed, reassuring children and doing our upmost to keep them safe as we, overnight, rearranged our schools to make them socially distant compliant.

“I’m not looking for 'thank you' from NCC, and I’m sure my colleagues across the county feel the same, the appreciation and gratitude from our school community is more than enough to tell me that we are doing an amazing job.

“However, an acknowledgement that we have played our part in this national emergency is warranted and that should start with our local authority and come from the Leader.

“Off the cuff comments using highly emotive language such as ‘pay a little back’ are damaging, hurtful and unnecessary during a time when we are exhausted, concerned and, most importantly, trying our utmost to do the right thing.”

Councillor Alan Rhodes, the leader of the Labour group on the council, and the councillor for Worksop North, called the comments ‘deeply offensive’.

Writing to Mrs Evans, he said: “As someone who has a close working relationship with schools in the area I represent, grandchildren of school age and someone who has friends and family in the teaching profession, I am appalled that you have had to write to Councillor Cutts about her comments.

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“Those comments made by Councillor Cutts are clearly out of touch with the reality of teaching during the lockdown as you so eloquently describe in your email to elected members of the county council and you and your teaching profession colleagues should be applauded for the sterling work that you are undertaking during this very difficult and challenging period.

“Thank you for all that you and your colleagues are doing for children and families in our Nottinghamshire communities”

The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council was approached for comment.