Governments get criticised for U turns, which is not always fair. Sometimes things change so quickly in this world that you may be obliged to change policies on the fly.
What is not acceptable is a lack of planning. When we decide to replace our kitchen, we think about it well in advance. We probably have an idea when we want the work done and gear our efforts so that everything is in place for the big day.
We went into lock down in March. We knew that A-level results would be out in August. That leaves four months to plan. It’s four months to construct an algorithm that, at least, mimics the final results of last year. It’s four months in which to run last year’s data through it and see if it comes up with the same results. There will inevitably be some winners and losers, but they can appeal. There should not be 40% of A-level candidates on the losing side.
We went into lock down in March. It seemed inevitable that schools would not be back fully functioning until September. Another four months to formulate a plan. Let’s call it plan A. And then let’s formulate a series of other plans to accommodate the changing circumstances. Oh and let’s get the teachers and the schools involved because, at the end of the day, they have to put it into action, not the Prime Minister holidaying in Scotland or the Education Minister off with his relatives. If they’d done a bit of preparation, they could have gone off on their holidays with a clear conscience knowing that everything was in place, all those involved were at the same place on the same page.
When you had that new kitchen installed, a week before the fitters came did you change your mind on the positioning of the sink and the style of units you wanted? I thought not.