Back to back duncery
A personal view, by Jon O’Connor, FHCLP chair.
Also a teacher, Head Teacher and inspector for more than 40 years
As someone who has worked in education for over 40 years, it’s been truly painful to watch Gavin Williamson, the latest occupant of the Department for Education as Secretary of State, working with Boris Johnson to show the world how to demonstrate world class stupidity in managing the education service during the pandemic, along with a callous lack of care for children.
The constant indecision, the arrogance and above all the lack of respect and trust for our schools, their learning communities and families has almost certainly contributed to the tragic and mounting death-toll from CoVid19. Allowing schools – and often forcing them – to remain open as centres of significant contact between different families was always going to be a risk.
How big a risk was not entirely clear a year ago. That it even existed was flatly denied by Gavin Williamson, Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson, serving as the back to back dunces of Downing Street and the DfE.
As we wait to learn of the latest government plan to “re-open” schools – forgetting that most have never closed, continuing to serve vulnerable children and the children of key workers – this brilliant video from Led By Donkeys really says it all.
Dithering, back to back duncery. Back to school, maybe, maybe not, maybe.
Good luck to all of the children, staff, leaders and governors in our schools. You deserve better.
