Dame Alison Peacock has responded to claims of teachers drinking in their staffrooms during the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic teachers followed the rules to the letter and did everything that was expected of them and more. Our teachers showed calm professionalism amidst impossible circumstances. Every single day teachers carried a huge amount of anxiety about the potential risk to their own health and that of their families. Despite all of that, they did not break the rules. Even when the guidance was unclear they did not break the rules.

Suggesting otherwise is naïve and wrong.  We should be thanking our teachers for everything they have done in the face of scarce resources and immense pressures. We know the behaviour of teachers throughout the pandemic has been something for which we can be proud. Spending just a short amount of time with teachers would prove how obvious that point is. Any attempt to suggest otherwise shows a complete lack of knowledge about our wonderful profession and should be retracted.