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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1m

He added: "I felt it was giving people a sense of false hope and belief that something was going to happen and inevitably two, three weeks later you then have to tell everyone that we can't deliver this."

John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1m

He says: "It was damaging because what parents heard was the prime minister saying: "All your kids are going to be able to go back before the summer". Sir Gavin said govt wasn't going to be able to deliver on that without relaxing the social distancing restrictions that were in place at the time.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 5m

Sir Gavin is asked about his criticism of then prime minister Boris Johnson's announcement about pupils returning to school before the summer.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 19m

He replies: "I think it was set up as an organisation to be obsessed with grade inflation. Education thinking, actually, for 15 years has been concerned about grade inflation." He said it was a founding principle in ensuring standards are maintained.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 22m

Chair of the inquiry Baroness Hallett asks Sir Gavin Williamson why Ofqual were "so concerned about grade inflation given it was an emergency, a crisis?"

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 27m

Sir Gavin added: "I don't think people had understood and truly comprehended the unfairness it would kick out and at the scale it would do."

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 29m

It is put to Sir Gavin that the exam grading model was focused on "favouring consistency of outcome and controlling inflation rather than recognising fairness to the individual". Sir Gavin says there was too much collective group think in England and other UK nations that this was the best route.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 32m

It is put to Sir Gavin that Sir Jon Coles said that when he put his grading concerns to him Sir Gavin had replied: "Well, I think you might be right, Jon, but I think it’s too late now to do anything about it.’” Sir Gavin tells the inquiry he doesn't recall saying what has been attributed to him.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 36m

Sir Gavin said Sir Jon Coles was the first voice he had heard to raise concerns about the way the grading model was going to work for providing students with results.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 38m

Sir Gavin is now asked about GCSEs and A levels in the summer of 2020 in which Ofqual developed a grading model after exams were cancelled.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 40m

He said that there was a need to ensure schools returned and govt needed to have a "clarity and determination" that schools were going to go back. But he also said that having not got things right in February and March he also wanted to ensure contingencies were in place.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 42m

Sir Gavin is asked about the govt's approach to schools returning after the summer holidays in 2020 and why a fall back plan was kept "secret" from schools.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 53m

Sir Gavin is asked whether there was a reticence within DfE to ask SAGE for advice on schools for fear that it would be published - a suggestion in notes from Lord Vallance which have been provided to the inquiry.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

The inquiry turns to evidence given by United Learning Trust CEO Sir Jon Coles evidence to the inquiry for last week. Story from that here. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

DfE not planning for school closures ‘was a dereliction of duty’

Leader of the biggest MAT tells the UK Covid inquiry that while his trust was making preparations for closures in March 2020, he was not aware of the DfE issuing directives to local authorities

www.tes.com

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Sir Gavin said it was frustrating that he wasn't able to use a department underspend of £168m to purchase more laptops and indicated that as secretary of state there were constraints on what could be done.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

He said that it wouldn't have been possible for him to ask the Treasury for £100m in February for laptops for school closures when at the time that wasn't govt policy and wasn't what the Prime Minister was saying. "It wouldn't have happened in that timescale".

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Sir Gavin says that if the govt had gone to trade unions or other sector organisations to talk about possibility of school closures then it would have become a "self fulfilling prophecy" because the moment you had that conversation every single newspaper would be reporting it.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

It is put to Sir Gavin that "there was nothing concrete in place", no written plan covering the closure of schools when it was announced on March 18 when the prime minister announced school closures.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Shortly after this conference "things started to shift more dramatically" Sir Gavin adds. You can read former ASCL general secretary @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social's recollection of this turn of events here www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Geoff Barton: How the week that ‘changed education forever’ unfolded

Five years ago this week, Covid closed schools across England and Geoff Barton, then ASCL general secretary, was at the heart of the process. He explains how it happened and what it taught us

www.tes.com

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Sir Gavin tells inquiry that when he attended the ASCL conference in March the key message he had been cleared by Downing Street to give was that schools would be staying open. "That was the absolutely clear theme they were wanting us to get out to the media".

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

The inquiry now moves forward to March. Cabinet office documents are shown setting out the impact of national school closures. Findings include that nine million children wouldn't be guaranteed to receive an education.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Sir Gavin is asked if he spoke to chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty or chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance about school closures in February. He says he did not but his permanent secretary was in regular contact with them.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

He says the focus and emphasis of govt wasn't sharp enough in terms of taking on the emerging scientific evidence.

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 1h

Sir Gavin is asked about SAGE minutes from Feb 25 in which a paper which modelled school closures was discussed. He is asked: "Was there any realisation on your part that this could have profound implications for children should it come to pass?"

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John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 2h

I think its fair to say it seemed utterly insane without hindsight to some.

John Roberts @johngroberts.bsky.social · 2h

Sir Gavin recalls Cobra discussions on whether Cheltenham Festival should go ahead. He added: "Which now seems utterly insane when we know what we now know".

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