Yesterday evening (18 January), Rt Hon Sir David Evennett, MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, participated virtually in the House of Commons debate on Remote Education and Free School Meals. During his speech, he praised the incredibly hard work of the teachers and support staff across Bexley Borough that have continued to work throughout the ongoing pandemic, and acknowledged that, “Teaching today is more difficult than ever before”.

Whilst Sir David did express some concerns about the temporary closure of schools and remote learning, such as the lack of physical and social interaction, the impact on mental health, the effects of increased screen time, and social mobility, he did acknowledge that it was, “regrettable but necessary".

Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has worked to give every child access to the world class education that they deserve. Sir David highlighted the many achievements of the Government in this respect, including the purchase of 1.3 million laptops and tablets for those most in need, delivering 54,000 4G routers to schools and colleges and strengthening the minimum standards for remote learning and introducing binding requirements for schools to deliver high-quality remote education.