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'Until recently, I would have called myself an aspiring head'

A primary school deputy headteacher has delivered a stark and uncomfortable message to MPs about the growing hole in the headteacher pipeline.

Diana Ohene-Darko, an assistant headteacher and acting deputy headteacher at two London primary schools, told MPs that she used to be an “aspiring head”.

However, the 10-year real-terms pay freeze and the way the government has treated headteachers during the Covid-19 pandemic has led her to take stock.

She was speaking at a briefing event in Parliament organised by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) on Wednesday (February 2).

Ms Ohene-Darko told MPs: “My colleagues and I are working against a backdrop of a lack of professional agency, autonomy and independence. Instead of being hailed as heroes for working on the frontline we have been unfairly criticised to hide government failure.

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