Covid: Boris Johnson 'in awe' of pandemic parents

Parents have risen to the challenge of the pandemic as they cope with the pressures of home schooling, Boris Johnson has said.

In an open letter, the prime minister described how Covid had "brought out the very best in a great many people".

But some parents have said Mr Johnson "doesn't get" the pressures they are facing.

It comes after the government confirmed England's schools will remain closed to most pupils until at least 8 March.

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In his letter, Mr Johnson told parents: "You're doing great for your own kids, and you're doing great for the whole country too".

He added parents "have been dealt the trickiest of hands yet played it magnificently" adding he was "in awe of the way the parents, carers and guardians of children have risen to the unique challenges with which you have been faced".

Mr Johnson announced the birth of a son, Wilfred, during the first wave of infections last April.

He wrote: "Whether you've been welcoming a baby into the world without all the usual support networks, finding new ways to entertain a restive five-year-old when the soft play centre is shut and playdates are but a distant memory, or steering a teenager through the emotional stresses and strains of these unprecedented times, you have been dealt the trickiest of hands yet played it magnificently."

The letter repeated a pledge to provide support for home schooling, including laptops, access to free school meals, and catch-up programmes.

'Struggle'

Mother-of-one Carina White, a parenting podcaster from south east London, told BBC Breakfast some parents were struggling and Mr Johnson needed to deliver on his promises.

She said: "We have mums within our network that have two, three, four kids, under six… and they're also working full time from home. So it is really a struggle for them."

Asked about her response to Mr Johnson's letter, she said: "When you start looking at the data and start looking at what is actually happening, to me he doesn't get it at all, he really doesn't.

"I'm glad to hear that they are going to commit some money to education recovery programmes but until I actually see what that looks like I'm not sure that he gets it at all."

She said children were "struggling to learn online because maybe the work is too easy for them or maybe it is too hard".

Ms White called on the government to consider the return to school carefully and she suggested grouping pupils by ability to help those who have struggled to catch-up quickly.

Many children have been learning remotely since the new year after schools were closed to most pupils

Mother-of-three Nicola Mason, a headteacher from Staffordshire, told BBC Breakfast Mr Johnson may not fully understand all the pressures facing parents and teachers.

She said: "Whilst the prime minister is right to give credit to parents, I'm not sure he fully understands the pressures they're under."

She said there was pressure "to chase parents and childrens' engagement with remote learning because of the expectation legally on schools to provide that remote learning".

Children in larger families are competing for time on devices, which are also in short supply, Ms Mason added.

Mr Johnson announced the birth of his son with fiancée Carrie Symonds last year, and is known to have fathered five other children.