We wrote to @BorisJohnson on 10th June asking for a plan B in case of second spikes, local lockdowns and COVID cases in schools. We asked for national provision of IT for disadvantaged children, employing more teachers, and support for remote learning.

Last night, School Leaders get an email, late into the evening, informing them of what should happen if case numbers rise locally - outlining 4 tiers of intervention - including secondary school rotas and, at tier 4, school closures.

How the govt can think it is acceptable to leave it until now - three days before schools start in September - to issue this guidance is a mystery to me. Once again, school leaders have been given completely inadequate notice to make major preparations.

Remote learning is not a simple thing to organise for leaders or for teachers. It involves a significant of work for teachers - teaching in schools and preparing work for students at home. That is why the @NEUnion advocates that all NQTs without jobs are employed this year.

The government has, yet again, left school leaders to carry the can for its own lack of forethought, planning and resources. Relations between education professionals and the govt are really strained as school leaders look on in disbelief at the govt’s shambolic ‘preparations’.

And finally - where is the guidance for support staff? How will they, when supporting individual students, remain socially distanced? We are hearing tales of them being required to clean classrooms without proper resources and PPE.