Reading the leaked texts between Matt Hancock and Gavin Williamson was a shock.
Not just because of the contempt they openly display towards teachers and the teaching profession, but because it brought back all the memories of that time of the pandemic and how incredibly hard it really was for everyone in schools.
Far from looking for ways to work less, teachers, school leaders and every member of school staff were putting in incredible hours and effort to keep things going and to do their bit.
In my 30-year teaching career I have never seen staff work so hard as they did then.
It was not just hard work, it was incredibly stressful and emotionally draining – as that time was for everyone.
The pandemic was a totally unknown quantity and people were scared. We had no idea how it would change things and how long it would last.
When the first lockdown was announced we had to entirely reinvent the school system in the space of 24 hours.
We had to figure out how to keep educating children remotely in a way that had never been done before.
Teachers worked so hard to learn new skills incredibly quickly, putting in their own time to learn new technologies and ways of working.
No one stopped working at any point. Schools never actually closed.
Instead we had the challenge of both teaching pupils at home full time while managing to keep schools open for the children of key workers and those most vulnerable.
Teachers and school staff were pulled in several directions all at once.
Schools stayed open during holidays and after hours to look after the children of key workers – in my school teachers stayed behind until late in the evening to make sure hospital workers’ children were cared for to support them in taking care of those who were sick.
Everyone was focused on doing their bit to keep the country – and the NHS – going. And that’s despite not knowing fully then what the true risks were to us.
As a head teacher, the pressure of trying to make sure children and staff were kept safe during a totally new pandemic was immense.
Keeping up with the constantly changing medical advice and Covid rules was a full-time job in itself.
I personally stayed up many a night reading through the latest government documents released in the evenings so I could implement any changes the next day.
I and all my colleagues felt our responsibility incredibly keenly – we certainly weren’t sending offensive texts or funny emojis to each other about it.
Apparently those in schools were taking the whole thing a lot more seriously than many in government.
The idea that the then Secretary of State can have thought anyone working in schools at that time was lazy is absolutely disgusting.
The thought never should have entered his head. It shows clearly that the man ultimately in charge of all schools at the time had no idea the work that goes on in schools, especially during a life-changing pandemic.
I only hope that the current Secretary of State for Education has a better understanding of just how hard teachers and school leaders work, and that she keeps this front of mind in our current talks about pay and workload.
