18 March 2020: school closures announced

In an unprecedented move, the government announces that schools and colleges across the UK will close to almost all students in just two days’ time, to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson says: “After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon, they will remain closed until further notice. This will be for all children except those of key workers and children who are most vulnerable.”

18 March 2020: exams cancelled

At the same time that school closures are announced, it is also confirmed that GCSE and A-level exams will not be taking place in the summer.

“I can confirm that we will not go ahead with assessments or exams and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year. We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications that they need,” Williamson says.

As events later in the year will prove, that work does not go smoothly.

20 March 2020: schools close to most pupils

Two days later, schools close to all but the children of key worker parents and vulnerable children. The hope is that it will all be over by summer.

1 June 2020: first phased reopenings

And it is, in a way … Come 1 June, the first wave of reopenings takes place, with nurseries and some year groups - Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in primary schools - returning. This is followed two weeks later, on 15 June, by secondary schools.

Prime minister Boris Johnson says: “We will now reopen schools to more children. Closing schools has deprived children of their education and, as so often, it is the most disadvantaged pupils who risk being hardest hit.”

However, there are many who disagree with this plan, with teachers, scientists and teaching unions all raising concerns over the rush to reopen. Not for the first time, the education sector is overruled.

13 August 2020: CAG debacle

In August, the first ever centre-assessed grades (CAGs) for GCSEs and A levels are awarded by a mixture of teacher assessment and algorithm. It does not go well.

Almost immediately, concerns are raised over the unfairness of the algorithm - with almost 40 per cent of all grades adjusted down from what schools had set.

What’s more, the grade changes appear to be biased, based on geographical region or class size - a fact that benefits students in small independent schools, while hitting those in larger schools in less-affluent areas hardest.

Dismayed students, teachers and education experts take their complaints to social media and the news is dominated by the growing unhappiness at the unfolding situation.

17 August 2020: CAG U-turn

Five days later, in the face of this barrage of criticism, the government ditches the CAG model and moves, instead, to teacher-assessed grades without the algorithm input. This means joy for many, although some who had benefited from CAGs will see their grades slip again.

The situation even leads to a rare apology from the government, with the education secretary saying: “I am sorry for the distress this has caused young people and their parents but hope this announcement will now provide the certainty and reassurance they deserve.”

8 November 2020: free school meals U-turn

The government had previously had to reverse a decision not to continue providing free school meals during the summer holidays as a result of a pressure campaign spearheaded by the footballer Marcus Rashford. Yet come November, Rashford - by now an MBE - is once again having to urge the government to ensure that children are fed over the winter months.

Finally, on 8 November, in the face of a national outcry, the prime minister announces new funding for free school meals.

14 December 2020: government legal threats

In December, it becomes clear that something new is happening with Covid-19 infection rates. Schools are open and following social distancing guidelines but, across communities, infection rates are spiking - and a new variant of the disease is soon identified as the cause.

For leaders in Greenwich and other London boroughs, the solution is clear: close schools and reduce transmission immediately.

The government, however, thinks otherwise and threatens legal action against any schools that move towards remote teaching.

It will not be long before it is shown that local authorities are right and the government has once again got it wrong.

4 January 2021: schools reopen for one day

In perhaps the most genuinely shocking day of the pandemic for the education sector, 4 January 2021 sees schools and colleges reopen after the Christmas holidays, despite widespread awareness that a new Covid-19 variant is prevalent across the country.

By the end of the day, the prime minister has taken to the airwaves to enforce a third national lockdown - which will mean most school staff and students returning to remote teaching - and to confirm that exams will not take place for the second year in a row.

The education sector is dismayed that such a situation has come to pass, as Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, sums up: “The government has had eight months to prepare for a renewed period of remote learning, and for alternatives to exam assessment at GCSE and A level, but it has not used that time wisely or well.”

8 March 2021: full school reopening

Everyone has been expecting a slow and steady reopening of schools but, instead, a “big bang” approach is adopted, with the government announcing on 22 February that schools and colleges in England will reopen to all students on the same day: 8 March.

The plan comes with the new recommendation for secondary teachers and students to wear masks while in the classroom, and the rollout of twice-weekly rapid Covid tests - yet more developments for the education sector to grapple with.

But, as the past 12 months have shown, if there is one thing school staff do well it’s to keep calm, adapt, continue to provide education and do all that while coping with some questionable decision making by the powers above.

Here’s hoping the next 12 months are a little more straightforward.

Dan Worth is senior editor at Tes

This article originally appeared in the 19 March 2021 issue under the headline “10 days that shook the education world”