6 h. ago Boris Johnson says DfE failed to plan for school closures during Covid crisis

Former PM tells inquiry that children ‘were paying a huge, huge price to protect the rest of society’Boris Johnson laid blame on the Department for Education (DfE) over its lack of preparation for school closures at the outbreak of the pandemic, telling the Covid-19 inquiry that he assumed detailed planning was going on behind the scenes.“We were focused on trying to delay the peak of the pandemic and we thought that the closure of schools, if it had to be used at all, would be a measure of last resort,” the former prime minister said. He added: “It was my impression that the work was being done. I certainly, let me put it this way, I certainly assumed that the work was being done.” Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Boris Johnson says children should have been exempted from Covid lockdowns

Disgraced ex PM who oversaw pandemic finally admits ‘full horror’ of Covid-19 was ‘slow to dawn on’ his government as he faced questions at inquiry about a lack of planning for school closures

Politics

9 h. ago Boris Johnson denies UK failed to plan for Covid school closures

Former prime minister defends government’s response to pandemic but admits children paid ‘huge, huge price’

Politics

10 h. ago Covid inquiry live: children paid ‘huge price’ to protect rest of society in pandemic, says Johnson

The former prime minister says method for adjudicating exam results ‘must have been bitterly disappointing to students’Former prime minister Boris Johnson tries to give the inquiry context around the decision making on the closure of educational settings. He says:Don’t forget that we didn’t know the effect this disease had on kids. We didn’t know much about the transmissibility of the disease. There were all sorts of things that were simply unknown and difficult to plan for. And the thing was moving very fast.And from the point of view of No 10, we were focused very much on trying to stave off, trying to avoid an appalling public health crisis, and we were focused on getting enough ventilators, on getting enough PPE, trying to avoid a significant number of casualties, and I think it’s important for the inquiry to focus, to remember that at the time that the school closures were first mentioned, they were seen as something you put in at the peak of the pandemic, and we didn’t think w...

Politics

10 h. ago UK did plan for mass school closures after onset of Covid, says Boris Johnson

Former prime minister gives evidence to official inquiry and defends his government’s response to pandemic

Politics

11 h. ago Johnson insists there had been planning for Covid school closures

The former prime minister is giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Politics

11 h. ago Covid inquiry live: Boris Johnson questioned over impact of pandemic on children

The former prime minister is appearing at the UK’s Covid-19 inquiryClair Dobbin KC is questioning the former prime minister. She is counsel to the Covid Inquiry. She leads its work in Northern Ireland and, separately, its work in relation to children.She has opened by asking about Gavin Williamson’s evidence which suggested there had been very little preparation for the closure of schools. She says his evidence was that “he didn’t seek assessment of the impact of school closures, and nor did he seek to develop planning for mass school closures because, and these were the words he used in his oral evidence, the steer I was hearing – whether it was in cabinet or anything else – was to keep things open, not about closing things.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Londoners forced to move out of capital to have children, experts warn

Experts have told the London Assembly that the capital risks becoming a child-free city

Events

7 d. ago Sir Gavin Williamson: ‘Many mistakes made’ with Covid school closures

The former education secretary told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry things should have been done differently.

Politics

1 week ago Primary school campus at risk of closure just a year after opening as pupil numbers plunge

It has a 75% surplus of spaces

Events

2 w. ago ‘Dereliction of duty’ not to plan for Covid school closures – academy boss

Former DfE director general for schools Sir Jon Coles said his trust got on planning for school closures in March 2020 before receiving direction

Politics

2 w. ago Man seriously injured and 184,000 without power as Storm Amy batters Ireland

The storm also brought localised flooding, fallen trees, transport disruption and school closures in Northern Ireland.

Events

2 w. ago Amy leaves 180,000 without power and some ‘sheltering in place’

The storm also brought localised flooding, fallen trees, transport disruption and school closures in parts.

Politics

2 w. ago UK government owes children apology for damaging Covid errors, inquiry hears

Children’s commissioner during pandemic says long lockdowns caused explosion in vulnerability among youngThe government should apologise to children for the damaging mistakes and policy errors it committed during the pandemic, the former children’s commissioner for England has told the Covid-19 inquiry.Giving evidence to the inquiry’s public hearing on Thursday, Anne Longfield said a “doom loop” of fatalism among ministers meant the government failed to do more to help children. She argued that the prolonged lockdowns and school closures were responsible for the explosion in mental health, welfare and behaviour difficulties still being experienced by children and young people. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Why are primary school numbers in London down? Decline in pupils risk closures

Why are primary school numbers in London down? Decline in pupils risk closures  London Evening Standard

Events

3 w. ago London school closures due to families moving out, report finds

London school closures due to families moving out, report finds  BBC

Politics