A PRIMARY school headteacher is leaving teaching after 17 years because she's fed up of working a 70-hour week.

Barbara Mitchell, of St Peter's, Eaves Lane, Chorley, says she's had enough of the huge administrative demands that now go with the job.

She is taking early retirement in August and hopes to find a part-time job with less responsibility.

Today, Lancashire's education boss said stress was a fact of life in senior positions but that the county council did all it could to retain teachers.

Mrs Mitchell, 55, said: "I work from 8am-8pm every day and on Saturdays too, with virtually no time off at half-term. Last summer I spent a week in bed diagnosed with exhaustion.

"I felt I had to leave for my health. My body was saying 'this is too much'."

Mrs Mitchell blames league tables and the National Curriculum for creating too much red tape and bureaucracy.

"What a head should be about is teaching, learning and being there for staff and pupils," she said. "Teachers have a hard job. They need someone to talk to them and offer encouragement, but I'm so exhausted I can't do that.

"We've had to take on so much paperwork and so much is expected of primary schools that heads, staff and children have no time to rest."

And she said she thought the Local Education Authorities should provide support so that headteachers can take time off if they need a rest.

"Parents work more these days and often don't have time to help their children do homework. We run after school clubs but that just means more administration," says Mrs Mitchell, who has been at St Peter's all her teaching life.

"It's a good school, the staff are hard working and I'll miss the children, but they need someone younger in charge who has lots of energy and optimism."

Alan Whittaker, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for education and young people said: "I'm sorry that Mrs Mitchell feels this way.

"Some people in senior positions in schools do feel there is stress, it's a fact of life.

"However, in Lancashire we invest a great deal of time and effort in recruitment and retention of teachers and this is reflected in the high regard that schools have for the authority.

"Mrs Mitchell has contributed a great deal to the education of children at St Peter's and we wish her a long and happy retirement."