Today I shouted at my digital radio. This is not unusual: I regularly converse with inanimate objects, generally when they get in my way or obstruct the course of my life. Thus the fridge with the dodgy seal which never shuts gets a mouthful; the hot water system which has failed to heat up; and of course the iphone which unaccountably neglected to wake me up on Monday morning.

But the digital radio had stepped out of line: it had made a suggestion. Actually, the suggestion was not totally unreasonable: but it did dare to tread into one of my no-go areas. This morning, my radio dared to suggest, via the medium of the Today Programme, that a head teacher of a London School should not be paid big bucks for turning it round.

Now I know a sum of £200,000 has been mentioned (or more even). And a salary of more than £80,000. And unless you’re in the education game that does seem like an awful lot of money for teaching kiddies.

And maybe this head does earn more than the Prime Minister.

But I’d love to see how our PM would handle day-to-day life in an inner London primary school. This gig is tough. Crowd control is the main priority in many areas of London: quality of education comes second to the needs the children bring to their school. I will never forget a teaching practice day in Northolt, walking around with a disfunctional six year old attached to my ankles.

Managing children is a skill. Producing the conditions by which inner city children can learn is far more skilled. And turning a failing school around could mean regenerating a whole neighbourhood.

Overpaid? Only if one foolishly underestimates the effect of educating a neighbourhood: and of transforming the lives of hundreds of children, and families, who might raise their expectations and aspirations as a result of one determined voice.

Our society is already paying the price for undervaluing those who transform our young people. If everyone was as good as this particular well-paid head teacher, might we have a sea-change for the better?