Sir Gavin Williamson accused academics of searching for an “excuse” to not work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with leaked messages from Matt Hancock printed by The Daily Telegraph.
In May 2020, as academics ready for lecture rooms to reopen, the then training secretary had messaged Mr Hancock asking for assist in securing private protecting tools (PPE) for faculties.
He mentioned this was so workers couldn’t use a scarcity of it as “a reason not to open”.
He added: “All of them will but some will just want to say they can’t so they have an excuse to avoid having to teach, what joys!!!”
It was a quite completely different view to the one he expressed in public that very same month, praising academics for “going above and beyond the call of duty”, including: “You have simply been outstanding and we are so grateful for what you’ve done”.
Five months later, Mr Hancock messaged Sir Gavin to congratulate him on his choice to delay A-level exams for a number of weeks, because of the virus.
Mr Hancock, then the well being secretary, wrote: “Cracking announcement at the moment.
“What a bunch of absolute arses the teaching unions are.”
Sir Gavin responded: “I know they really really do just hate work.”
Mr Hancock’s reply was two laughing face emojis and a bullseye.
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The choice to shut faculties was made by the federal government in March 2020, though some faculties had already made the selection for themselves.
Over the next yr, youngsters endured a rollercoaster of reopenings and closures, because the nation tried to strike a stability between containing the virus and resuming regular life.
Unions and faculties had repeatedly mentioned they didn’t wish to put academics or weak youngsters in danger.
But the federal government additionally confronted an issue in that oldsters had been having to remain residence to take care of youngsters throughout faculty closures, stopping them from returning absolutely to work.
A variety of studies since then have documented the damaging penalties for college students.
In January 2021, analysis from the Social Mobility Foundation mentioned the closures may wipe out a decade of progress closing the hole between much less privileged pupils and their friends.
And in May 2021, a research by suppose tank Social Finance discovered that deprived youngsters had been the least prone to return to high school after lockdown.
Source: information.sky.com”