This, I understood, was hard, monotonous and draining work, and with what a responsibility!The trip passed without incident and we all remained impressed by the excellent way in which our two drivers approached, and performed, their tasks.Fast forward to Thursday morning last week, when, back home, on my way to school, I heard the first radio reports of the tragedy involving the school party from Ayrshire. His colleague was slumped, dozing, in the co-pilot’s seat, and everything else was quiet. But the driver was on his own, with nothing to help him to stay alert apart from his own professionalism. We were still travelling at speed, on a busy-ish road, with lorries, cars and other buses jockeying for position as they all headed south. We were somewhere on the main motorway heading south through France.
The driver now at the wheel had told me that this middle-of- the-night shift was one he hated, and, now, as I peered sleepily down the bus, I could see why. We’d been travelling for about 15 hours already, the two drivers taking it in turns to be at the wheel for four hours. Was it in my dreams, or did the bus in which I was travelling really lurch briefly, then shudder, before the smooth, soporific equilibrium returned? I was one of five teachers on a coach with 42 14-year-olds from my school on our way to a resort just south of Barcelona.

It was the middle of the night, about half past three in the morning, and I was woken by a sudden jolt. This would mean reducing our teaching timetable, which would mean employing more teachers, which costs money.If you would like to be featured in Teacher Talk, e-mail us at education independent.co.uk. I’ve not picked up on any racism in our school.Do you think that pastoral care in schools is sufficiently resourced?More time for pastoral care would make teachers more effective in dealing with students who have behavioural problems. About 5 to 10 per cent of people in my town are non-white, and my school reflects that. Also, it could reduce parental choice as to where they send their children. But if you are part of that quota and feel like a token black it might be difficult. If having quotas forces people initially to mix, then I think it’s a good idea.

Not a very good feeling.Could the introduction of ethnic quotas in schools be the answer to racial tension in certain parts of the country?Something needs to be done to relieve tension in areas such as Bradford. I think it’s good to mark the end of being a schoolchild.When I left school, I did my last exam and walked out and that was that. The sixth-formers have a ceremony at Crawley Council chambers with the local MP, and a party afterwards. We do them at my school for the sixth-formers, and also for the year 11s, whom we also take on a boat trip in London.