Next week I, like many other parents, will be dropping my children off at the school gates for the first time in months. My son will be entering year five and my daughter beginning in reception. I am full of mixed emotions and none of my worries have been eased by this government’s truly appalling handling of education issues during the pandemic. 

Lockdown was challenging for my little family, as it was for most. I found it difficult to work and teach, and often it was the teaching part that evaporated. I have been wracked with guilt about not doing enough for my kids — a condition made worse, of course, by the ‘wonderparents’ of social media. My kids and I have butted heads on more than one occasion. There has been the odd emotional outburst. My son is dyslexic, and he will have a lot of work to do to catch up in the forseeable future. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about his progress.

Without doubt, both of my children have missed routine and structure. I am not the type of parent who has been living out the home-schooling fantasy during the pandemic: taking to Facebook to extol the virtues of lots of one on one time with my precious angels. My day has been more about locks on the fridge, ‘stop destroying the garden’ and ‘please don’t paint the cat’s toenails while I am on this call.’ But my children are my world. They will continue to come first for me as face the difficult months ahead, both socially and economically.

The failings of this government when it comes to Covid-19 — their determination to ignore the science when it doesn’t fit their narrative, and to choose profit over health — can’t be understated. Today’s newspaper headlines about forcing people to return to the office even if they can do their jobs perfectly well from home illustrate the point. But nothing has quite been as bad as the attacks they have made on teachers and their unions, professionals who actually understand the complexities of running a school and who have been raising legitimate concerns about the lack of preparedness when it comes to issues like social distancing.

Another factor teachers’ unions have raised is the test and trace system, which medical research suggests is the most important factor in the safe reopening of schools. Unfortunately, because the government decided to hand England’s test and trace system over to private companies with a proven track record of failure, England is failing disastrously when it comes to this crucial element of safeguarding. Those employed by the system were making just a handful of calls per month as outbreaks of the virus rapidly increased across the country.

The government tells us repeatedly that children are unlikely to become seriously ill from Covid-19, but that is not our only concern. Little is said about how children attending school may compromise the health and wellbeing of their vulnerable family members or others in the community. You can’t keep children in their school bubble 24/7. And what about the risk faced by teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, cleaners, caterers and lunchtime supervisors who, for the first time in months, will have full schools to work around? 

The education and welfare of pupils is not up for debate. I agree that schools and colleges are usually the best environment to learn in. I want my kids at school. But the government has failed to deliver the safeguards which should have been its number one priority if it wanted to reassure parents like me. Information is inconsistent, as the latest u-turn on wearing face masks has demonstrated. That came after Scotland confirmed secondary pupils must wear masks in communal areas, such as corridors, and on school buses. 

The World Health Organisation and Unicef, the UN children’s agency, also said that those aged 12 and over should wear masks to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. But this wasn’t good enough for many Tory MPs, who responded to the announcement by taking to the media to insist that this over-protectiveness would damage children’s welfare — posing for pictures with CEOs of various academies or favourable head teachers.

Once again, the government is spinning in circles, not quite knowing which direction to take. It all adds to the sense that our rule-makers are completely incompetent. One thing, however, is clear. If schools and local authorities had not experienced a decade of cuts, if class sizes were smaller, if buildings had seen adequate investment, and if teaching staff and supports hadn’t been stripped back, I would feel far more confident about my children returning to school. 

The fragmentation of our school system — as more control has been taken from Local Education Authorities and thrust into the hands of businesses — has meant that a coherent strategy for our children has been much harder to deliver. Schools have been turned into islands, isolated from communities and competing against one another as funding becomes a war of bidding and begging. 

It is vital that investment is made now, to support children’s return to education with proper professional supports, to support them emotionally and mentally during the stresses of this period, and to ensure that facilities are safe for those who learn in them — and those who work in them. 

Essential services have been shaved away in recent years as budgets were cut. There is less Special Education support, less mental health support and far less training for teachers in how to help a generation of children who will feel the repercussions of Covid-19 for years to come. If local authorities and schools do not receive this investment, I fear for their futures. 

It is also essential, if we are to recover from this situation, that teaching becomes a career that attracts the very best. In order to ensure this, the way that politicians, the mainstream media and members of the public treat and respond to teachers — who are, let’s not forget, key workers — must change. 

As a former teacher I am still friends with a great many who work in schools at all levels. I can attest to the fact that morale, well-being and professional fulfillment are at an all-time low, with many desperate to leave the job they set their hearts on doing for the duration of their professional lives. The national hate campaign that this government and their media allies have run against these people is one of the most despicable things I have seen in politics.

Like every other parent I will spend this weekend trying to work out what best to do, and how to look after my kids. It is a failure of our government that I don’t feel, in my gut, that I can rely on them to protect my family. But it is also a reminder of the kind of society we live in: we’ll only get better when we organise for it.