During lockdown teachers ran the risk of catching Covid to keep schools open for key workers and vulnerable children.
The country’s largest teaching union, the NEU, donated more than £1million to provide materials for pupils learning from home.
Some teachers hand-delivered free school meals so children would not go hungry, others held additional classes on Zoom.
The only people who failed to appreciate this were Matt Hancock and the then Education Secretary Gavin Williamson who, like silly schoolboys, sent puerile messages in which Williamson accused teachers of being lazy.
It was not teachers who partied while people could not attend funerals and it was not teachers who oversaw the deaths of thousands of people in care homes.
Two-faced politicians clapped for carers, NHS staff and teachers at the height of the pandemic but now refuse to give those who served their country a pay rise.
That’s what you get from the Tories: no recognition, no praise and no reward.
Victims failed
The security services have thwarted dozens of major terror attacks.
This will be little consolation to the families and friends of the 22 people who were killed in the Manchester Arena attack.
On this occasion they were failed by the people charged with keeping them safe.
The inquiry led by Sir John Saunders found MI5 missed a “significant” chance to take action which might have prevented the atrocity.
The sincere and profound apology by MI5 director general Ken McCallum for his service’s failings was welcome.
What is important now is that Sir John’s recommendations are implemented.
Clotted dream
Cream tea lover Sarah Merker has spent 10 years sampling the scones at every National Trust site in the UK.
She is proof you need to seize life’s opportunities before they are scone.
