Closing schools was inevitable. But cancelling exams is a mistake

On Sunday morning, Boris Johnson told us that schools were safe but, tellingly, did not rule out further closures. By Monday evening he had shut every school in England to most pupils. By then, of course, many primary schools had opened for just one day. Children mingled – as they do – and went home not to return. But after those bubbles were mixed, fewer grandparents may be willing to look after them.

When will they return? Johnson said not until half term, at least. But when policy can reverse so quickly in less than 36 hours, just about the only certainty is that it is far easier to close schools than it is it reopen them again. At last night’s press conference, the Prime Minister was asked to confirm that children will definitely return to schools by the summer holidays. He failed to do so.

As for teachers, this chaos is becoming a familiar and depressing feature of our working lives. Within