THERE are teachers who treat the job as just that; a means to a salary and a generous holiday entitlement.

And then there are teachers like Moredon Primary School head Claire Leach and her deputy Helen Wollington, who care so much about the welfare of their students that they will go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they get the best possible start in life.

No rule book or job description compelled these two teachers to step in when the mum of three of their pupils underwent a serious operation and was unable to get her children to school. They could have sat back, shrugged their shoulders and adopted the ‘not my problem’ attitude which seems so prevalent today.

But instead the dedicated professionals visited Lisa Barrett at home and, after seeing how distressed she was about the possibility of being fined for not getting her little ones to the gates while she recovered, they volunteered to pick the children up every morning and take them home again.

That might seem like a small gesture to some, but that gesture ensured some continuity in the lives of Kaden, 11, Ellis, nine, and Ruby, six, at a time when they were no doubt scared about seeing their mum in hospital and then struggling to cope with everyday things at home.

It almost certainly helped to speed up mum Lisa’s recovery too, freeing her from the worry and stress of arranging help for the daily school run.

What’s more, they have now arranged for the youngsters to attend a young carers group, where they can make friends with other children in a situation similar to theirs, share their worries and let off steam.

So we’d like to add our own thanks to Mrs Leach and Mrs Wollington. You are the kind of teachers everyone wants their children to have.