WITH a whole six weeks or so stretching out in front of them, the summer holidays for children can seem endless.

As sunny days are spent relaxing, maybe climbing trees or swimming in lakes, enjoying the beautiful countryside we have in South Oxfordshire and the Vale, how many children will turn their thoughts to their teachers?

Many of them will probably be heading into school at some point over the long break, planning lessons, doing paperwork.

They’ll be striving to get everything ready for the fresh days of September, when new textbooks are opened and new shoes are tied to go tripping through corridors and dinner halls.

But some won’t be. There is a crop of teachers this year who will be wiping down their whiteboards and shutting the classroom door for the last time.

Teaching is a difficult profession, but it’s one of the most important ones we have.

The likes of Margaret Wolf, who has been at the helm of Caldecott Primary for years, can often be overlooked for their contribution to their local community.

Yes, they are “just doing their job” but teachers like her form a backbone, a constant, for their areas.

And in this part of Oxfordshire, full of tight-knit neighbourhoods, teacher like Mrs Wolf, who will have seen thousands of children in her care over the years, help build a sense of belonging.

Even if your children don’t, spare a thought for our teachers these summer holidays.

When recruitment is challenged by a lack of affordable housing, we need to keep hold of all the best teachers we can.

Let us welcome them, value them, and encourage them to stay in one of the most beautiful parts of the country there is, and do the very best for our children.