The response to the pandemic is indeed under the governments "control".
They are ultimately in charge of the procurement of everything, form aprons to vaccines etc and with regard to the "test and trace", it's been oversold and under delivered since it's inception.
Now, I'm fully aware that Boris doesn't write the software for the system - just imagine if he did

but, he was quick enough to take credit for it's roll out and by god, he has to carry the can when it goes wrong.
All of the glory but, none of the pain.
So quick to wave the flags and yet so damn slow, even hiding when the shmidt comes down.

My lad is a graduate software engineer and he explained exactly where the problem was with using excel for this application.
He said that they had covered this type of issue at GCSE and A level.
Now, if a lad in his early 20's knows the limitations of using excel to collate and store this type of information, just who the hell have the government used for their software development.
You will no doubt recall the earlier issues of surrounding the communication (or lack of it) between mobile devices ?

The government might have overall responsibility for everything but do you expect them to place the orders for PPE or manage the actual development of the track and trace? Of course not - this devolved down to civil servants. If they don't perform then the government has to take the flack for ineffective performance but they relied on civil servants to deliver the project.

Perhaps they should have personally sorted out every school too - that is the job of the people who run the schools - sadly they were too busy enjoying the elongated break and weren't minded to contribute - again it may be the government who ultimately take the flack but it is the public employees who caused the issues.

The NHS has a budget which they decide what to spend it on - PHE were party to the study about the impact of a pandemic but - quite rightly - decided to spend the money on a more pressing issues. All of a sudden its the government's issue - even lack of PPE in private care homes was the government's fault.

The government have handled this situation very poorly but the support from the public sector has been pretty shambolic

If the PM hails the system as "world beating", at the very least, you would expect it to work and work reasonably well.

I wouldn't expect Boris to be personally be placing orders for PPE or writing the software for the test and trace system.
We can take the view that they should sort out the problem with their "supplier" or, take your view that, it's not actually their fault and lets put up with more lies and failings.
The one certainty is that whoever signed off on some of this stuff is not up to the job.

Over sell, under deliver, has been the theme of the Bojo reign and you seem happy for it to continue.
Next up Brexit

No deal Brexit - as was always going to be the case. Perhaps if you had the likes of John Caudwell people who are used to negotiating big deals doing the negotiating rather than some inappropriate civil servants things would have be better?

The government has ultimate responsibility and will judged in 4 years time on their performance - but blame needs to be apportioned correctly. If civil servants have stepped up to the mark or private contractors then they need to exposed so the public can get a true picture.

I would expect the public sector to be weak because its full of people who aren't employable in the private sector or who have been found wanting when working in the private sector e.g. Dido which is why they end up where they do. The idea of an increased state full of these incompetents doesn't bare thinking about

When did the people running schools take an elongated break

Still churning out this old lie huh.

The interest in 4 years time will be to see just how many "friends of the party" made a bloody fortune from the pandemic.
Contracts handed out like sweets to various "companies" that had no previous experience in the field but, still got the gig, which will go some way to explaining the current shambles.

Btw, are you happy with the numbers of University students who have tested positive ??
A staged return or, maybe a delayed return would have been the sensible way to have students return to their studies.

Seems to me as soon as the schools closed down the volume of education was significantly reduced for the vast majority of students outside of public schools. That suggests a vast number of teachers had significant extra time on their hands - would you not agree?

Sounds like an enforced break. "Elongated" infers that there was a choice ?

Difficult to maintain same teaching standards obviously, but looking to maintain online teaching both individually and groups to maintain the current curriculum as much as possible is no easy task.

In addition to the above, due to most schools being of different size and layout there is/was no set structure for the return- so along with trying to maintain day to day teaching they had to plan, propose and get agreed the class teaching structure under the new Covid rules - pupils didn’t just rock up at the beginning of September, an aweful lot of planning goes into trying to make it work, and even now schools as a whole and individual lessons change daily, whole years being sent home for 14 days so different online teaching techniques required, and completely different structure for those who do attend school.

No easy task - they most certainly have not been twiddling there thumbs for the last few months, and of course dealing with the change in pupils mental attitude to boot - sure a lot of people have the same concept as you but it couldn’t be further from the truth

Dont worry about Sal, he used to suggest that NHS staff were lazy and overpaid and then, just like the Hypocrites "running the country, he was on his door step every Thursday, applauding their efforts.

PHE as it is now is a creation of the Conservatives following the 2010 Health and Social Care Act. It's previous incarnation the HPA was funded better and better able to respond to incidents as well a more capable in taking part in planning for incidents.

The 2010 Act drove a bulldozer through the health and social care system to create a byzantine system that is near unworkable, particularly under stresses like covid.

Are you saying they were forced to only offer minimal teaching between March and September?

I have never said clinical staff are lazy and overpaid - show me where I said that?

As I said before I didn't clap on a Thursday - why, because my father's urgent heart surgery was cancelled - fortunately the private sector was able to help out!!

Seems to me you struggle with both reading and comprehension!!

Was the HPA the body in charge of the huge IT project in the NHS that ultimately came nothing other than wasting billions of tax payers money?

The point I made was less teaching happened a conservative estimate suggests a drop of c70% so what were those doing whilst they were still being paid 100% of their salary?

How was it that private schools managed near replication of the in house classroom yet the public sector only managed a fraction? Could it be that because private schools charge they had to step up? Sadly we all pay but that seems to be lost on the teaching profession.

In August the teaching unions were complaining that schools were ready to take pupils back - that's strange - the schools had had 6 months to prepare but actually did nothing for 5 of those months - most teachers enjoyed kicking back, partying etc.

You're so predicatble in your blaming of public sector workers. I actually think you have some sort of personal vendetta. Did a teacher or nurse once knock you back on a date?

The school where I'm based had 60 teaching staff volunteer to come into school, to carry on physical teaching, because they expected hundreds of kids would have nobody at home to look after them in lockdown due to work commitments. When the school was reopened for the kids of key workers and vulnerable children to attend, how many do you think turned up? Bearing in mind the school has a capacity of 2200 kids you'd expect a decent percenatge. The number of kids just about hit double figures. Now, see if you can work out whose decision it was for the other 2190 kids not being in school. The government closed schools to all but key worker and vulnerable kids. They also directed anyone who could work at home to work at home. Some parents could have sent their kids to school but chose not to. Are you suggesting teachers should have been round at kids houses, knocking on their doors and dragging them into school?

Utter claptrap.

The trust where I work set up an online teaching facility and staff taught on a rota. Staff who were not in school physically teaching kids were teaching lessons online. There was a vast online resource set up by staff within the first few weeks of lockdown. Some of our staff were even online teaching kids from other schools. There was an online academy set up for the very purpose. Of course, some kids struggled due to lack of equipment or access to the internet, but equipment was provided where possible. The free broadband was a vote loser for Corbyn. Imagine wanting to provide free internet access for kids up and down the country? The rotten old commie.

If staff were 'kicking back, partying', how did all the stuff happen which has made the safe return to schools possible? Classrooms have been reorganised, corridors have been rerouted, screens have been put up, hand sanitising stations have been implemented, the timetables have been rescheduled, the school day has been adjusted. Who do you think did it, the school fairies?

Our trust put all the measures in place, in line with government advice. It was up to the kids to get onboard with the new way of working. For someone who preaches self-reliance, you don't half want the kids backsides wiping for them.

So given they didn't have any physical kids to teach - from my experience of the drivers that worked for me - it was near impossible to get your kids into school, unless of course you are Keir Starmer - the only people deemed as critical were employees of the NHS in a clinical position - not many of them really so it is no surprise that very few in your school attended?

You ask most parents how much they enjoyed home schooling - not a lot - do you honestly think most parents - obviously not the woke ones - wouldn't have sent their kids to school if they could - seriously?

So your teachers weren't physically teaching - how many structured lessons were recorded and put on social media for the kids?

Perhaps it's because on the whole, the private schools try and keep their class sizes to around 20 and significantly less in the A level classes.
Therefore, they could almost carry on as they were, with a few "tweaks" here and there.

Compare this to the overcrowded local "comp" with 2500 pupils in cramped conditions and class sizes approaching 40.

You do the math, although, this one isn't too difficult.

Also, pupils at private schools have massively more access to on line services and it's way simpler therefore, to offer a very good standard of on line or "mixed" education.

Which teachers, private or state, do you think have the easiest job or, shall we all keep on kicking employees of the state, you know, like you used to do with NHS staff, until the Thursday evening clap became popular

So how was it that given everything you said that lessons were so scant i.e. 6 hours a week? If some teachers were teaching other school kids what were their teachers doing? So an online academy would have required significantly less resource - 1 teacher could in theory deliver a lesson to hundreds of kids - rather than tens of teachers delivering the same lesson to those kids?

So why by August were the schools not ready for pupils to return - they had after all had 5 months to get this sorted?

Kids are kids its up to the adults to show the way surely not the other way round - hearts and minds in management speak?

Are you seriously suggesting all teachers were working equally as hard as they were before lockdown?

I would suggest you are wrong about the class sizes Eton has close to 2,000 pupils in a building that can hardly be called modern as would be the case for the majority of private schools. Bradford Grammar my old school is in a building that is nearly 400 years old.

I take you point about the challenges of educating children - but that is no excuse by your own admission the teachers didn't have kids coming in to school so a good majority just switched off.

On the NHS you show me where I have said clinical staff are overpaid and underworked - if you can't could I suggest you refrain?

Jeez this is getting embarrassing now.

Not a surprise that the poster involved went to a second tier private school. I'm no psychologist but it would explain the insecurity, the seeming lack of awareness that they got a leg up from the start and the apparent lack of exposure to anyone who actually lives in the real world.

How many physical lessons were taught in these schools during lockdown? How many kids physically attended private schools? You seem to be under the illusion that private schools just carried on as normal.

[urlhttps://www.etoncollege.com/blog/lessons-from-lockdown-a-springboard-for-digitally-enhanced-learning/[/url

Just not true. Which alternative reality do you inhabit?!

[urlhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision[/url