联合王国学校缺乏2020年3月关闭的计划,尽管教育者发出预警。 UK schools lacked planning for closures in March 2020, despite early warnings from educators.

联合学习信托基金会负责人乔恩·科尔斯爵士告诉英国Covid-19调查,教育部未能在2020年3月初计划关闭学校,称这是"非常疏忽的责任". Sir Jon Coles, head of United Learning Trust, told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that the Department for Education failed to plan for school closures in early March 2020, calling it an "extraordinary dereliction of duty." 他的信托基金早在3月10日至11日就开始准备,运行网络研讨会,发布远程学习和保护指南,尽管没有国防部的指示。 His trust began preparing as early as March 10–11, running webinars and issuing guidance on remote learning and safeguarding, despite no direction from the DfE. 科尔斯表示难以置信该部门等待 10 号的指导，直到 3 月 16 日之后才开始计划，当时学校在第二天突然关闭。 Coles expressed disbelief that the department waited for guidance from Number 10 and did not start planning until after March 16, when schools were abruptly closed the next day. 前教育秘书Gavin Williamson爵士说,教育部没有评估关闭造成的社会经济影响,因为时间限制和关于学校开放的初步指导。 Former Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson said the DfE had not assessed the socio-economic impact of closures due to time constraints and initial guidance to keep schools open. 调查律师Clair Dobbin(Clair Dobbin)将缺乏规划称为“引起惊慌的原因”, Inquiry counsel Clair Dobbin called the lack of planning "a cause for alarm," noting inconsistencies in senior officials’ accounts. 政府说,调查结果将为未来的大流行病防备工作提供参考。 The government said the inquiry’s findings will inform future pandemic preparedness.