Exclusive, I think: Boris Johnson appears to mislead MPs about the freedom schools had to offer vouchers, rather than parcels, to free school meals children. https://www.educationuncovered.co.uk/news/149136/exclusive-boris-johnson-appears-to-mislead-mps-about-the-freedom-schools-had-to-offer-vouchers-rather-than-parcels-to-free-school-meals-children.thtml

The Prime Minister appeared to try to pass the responsibility for whether the pupils got the now-very-controversial parcels or vouchers on to schools, telling MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee it had been up to them.

But, questioned twice on this by MPs, Johnson didn’t mention DfE guidance which, until it was amended yesterday, was strongly urging schools to select the parcels over the vouchers.

Extra-embarrassingly, perhaps, for the PM, one of the government’s seemingly most loyal academy chains, Future, had been telling parents earlier this week, after they complained about the parcels, that there was nothing they could do-they were just following DfE guidance.

Then yesterday, Future pledged to offer its own vouchers, with its CEO, Paul Smith, praising the action of ministers and Future letters to parents now saying “we stand together with our parents and families in demanding better for our most vulnerable children.”

Smith also praised the PM’s speech on Monday last week where Johnson announced that schools would be closing, tweeting “I’m not sure any of the other candidates (from any party) would have done better than Boris.” I thought school leaders were not supposed to be political.

My piece, looking at the detail of what Johnson said and what his government’s guidance to schools was saying until it was changed at some point yesterday, is here: https://www.educationuncovered.co.uk/news/149136/exclusive-boris-johnson-appears-to-mislead-mps-about-the-freedom-schools-had-to-offer-vouchers-rather-than-parcels-to-free-school-meals-children.thtml