Williamson Admits Errors in COVID School Closure Planning, Criticizes Johnson’s Approach
The UK’s handling of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic was marred by significant missteps and a lack of preparedness, according to testimony from former Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson. Appearing before the UK COVID-19 inquiry on Tuesday, Williamson acknowledged failures in judgment and expressed regret that the Department for Education (DfE) did not respond more decisively in the early stages of the crisis.
Williamson stated that insufficient weight was given to emerging scientific evidence that later proved accurate. “The weight wasn’t put on to that emerging scientific evidence that did clearly prove to be right,” he said, adding that the government’s overall focus, including within his own department, was “not probably sharp enough” in addressing the pandemic. He accepted responsibility for these shortcomings, stating, “I readily accept that I was secretary of state and it was my responsibility.”
The former education secretary also leveled criticism at then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson,describing Johnson’s May 2020 announcement of a phased return to classrooms as “damaging” to schools,children,and families.
last week, Sir Jon Coles, a leader of an academy trust and former director general at the DfE, testified that the department’s failure to plan for school closures earlier in March 2020 constituted an “extraordinary dereliction of duty.” Williamson disagreed with this assessment, arguing that a different approach should have been taken. “I think we should have done it very differently,” he told the inquiry. “I think we should have, pre-2020, we should have had a clear plan with a range of scenarios.” He emphasized the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the pandemic’s potential impact across government and for proactive planning.
Questioned by clair Dobbin KC regarding why academy trust leaders anticipated school closures while the Secretary of State did not, Williamson explained that the DfE had received “a clear indication that we were to keep schools open.” He further clarified that key pandemic decisions were centralized within Number 10 and the Cabinet Office, limiting the autonomy of individual departments to conduct self-reliant consultations.Dobbin presented evidence, including a Sage document from February 2020, which highlighted the importance of considering the impact of school closures in various outbreak scenarios.
Williamson stated he had directed civil servants to assess potential COVID-19 impacts on education as early as January 2020.However, he noted that Number 10 primarily requested documentation focused on keeping schools open, though the department was simultaneously considering the implications of closures and planning for potential individual school shutdowns.
In a written statement submitted to the inquiry in 2023, Williamson described a rapid and “discombobulating 24-hour sea change” – a shift from plans to keep schools open on March 16th, to discussions about closures on March 17th, culminating in a school closure announcement the following day. He reiterated his previous assertion that the prime minister’s May 2020 plan for a phased reopening was unrealistic given existing social distancing guidelines.
When asked to specify who was harmed by the May 2020 announcement, Williamson responded, “I think it was damaging for schools, and I think it was damaging for children and parents, because actually what parents heard was the prime minister saying
