Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that Britain’s children bore an enormous burden during the Covid-19 pandemic, describing school closures and disrupted learning as a “huge price” paid to protect others.
Giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry this week, Johnson reiterated previous apologies for the government’s mistakes during the crisis. While defending the broader response, he expressed pride in how schools, teachers, and families adapted to what he called “unbelievably difficult” circumstances.
The Debate Over School Closures
Johnson rejected suggestions that the government failed to plan for school shutdowns in early 2020. He claimed he had assumed significant preparation was already underway within the Department for Education (DfE) and health agencies. Nonetheless, he admitted that the decision to close schools felt like a “nightmare” and a “personal horror,” stressing that he had hoped they could remain open.
The inquiry has heard conflicting accounts from ministers over how those decisions were made. Former education secretary Gavin Williamson testified last week that the government’s insistence on keeping schools open until mid-March 2020 had been a mistake. A formal closure plan was only confirmed on 17 March—just one day before schools across England were told to shut their doors.
Johnson conceded that the government could have done more to prepare but argued that the fast-moving nature of the virus made it nearly impossible to plan effectively. “We were dealing with an unprecedented public health crisis,” he said, noting that officials had limited knowledge of how Covid-19 spread at that stage.
“Heroic” Efforts Amid Chaos
Despite widespread criticism of the government’s handling of education during the pandemic, Johnson praised the DfE’s “heroic” efforts to support schools and families. He pointed to the challenges of remote learning, staff shortages, and public health pressures that made consistent schooling almost impossible.
He also defended attempts to use mass testing in schools as a way to keep classrooms open, though he admitted that the emergence of the Alpha variant in late 2020 derailed those plans.
The Exams Algorithm Fiasco
Perhaps the most infamous education controversy of the pandemic was the 2020 exams debacle. With GCSEs and A-levels cancelled, the DfE used an algorithm to calculate grades—an approach intended to prevent grade inflation but which ultimately downgraded around 40% of results.
Public outrage forced a swift U-turn, and students were eventually awarded teacher-assessed grades. Johnson acknowledged that the situation was “a disaster,” citing his own frustrations at the time. Leaked messages shown to the inquiry revealed he had privately complained that the DfE needed “better ministers,” describing himself as being in a “homicidal mood” over the fiasco.
“Was the loss of learning, exams, and the disappointment of pupils a disaster? Yes,” Johnson said in his testimony. “But it must be viewed in the context of trying to manage a far greater disaster — a pandemic that cost tens of thousands of lives.”
Lessons for the Future
Reflecting on the broader impact of lockdowns, Johnson admitted that restrictions “probably did go too far,” particularly for young people. He suggested that in any future pandemic, keeping schools open should be considered a national priority.
“Children should not again be asked to bear that kind of cost,” he said. “School closures must always be the very last resort.”
As this phase of the Covid Inquiry draws to a close, experts and parents alike are reflecting on the long-term educational and emotional toll of the pandemic. Studies have shown that many pupils lost significant learning time, with disadvantaged children hit hardest. Teachers continue to report increases in anxiety, social withdrawal, and academic gaps — a legacy that schools are still working hard to repair.
The Inquiry’s findings are expected to influence future education policy, with growing calls for clear national contingency plans that ensure continuity of learning, whatever future crises may come.