A former top Suffolk headteacher has spoken of his surprise as a former education secretary received a knighthood.
Geoff Barton, former head of King Edward VI school in Bury St Edmunds, said teachers would be "surprised" to learn that former minister Gavin Williamson had been given a knighthood by Boris Johnson.
During Mr Williamson's time as Education Secretary, he came under scrutiny after his handling of school exams during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Barton, who is now general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “School and college leaders will be surprised to learn that Gavin Williamson has been given a knighthood.
"The challenges of the pandemic and the implications for education would have been challenging for any Education Secretary, and this needs to be recognised.
"But the experience of schools and colleges of Mr Williamson during his tenure as Education Secretary was one of endless muddle, inevitable U-turns, and even threats of legal action to override local decisions.
“This was not all Mr Williamson’s fault. The hand of Downing Street was detectable amidst the chaos too.
"However, many parents will share our surprise that his record in this role warrants the conferring of a knighthood.”
A Downing Street statement said: “The Queen has been pleased to approve that the honour of knighthood be conferred upon the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP.”
While he was in charge of education, Mr Williamson announced all schools would close in March 2020, and said students due to sit their GCSE and A-Level exams would be given grades calculated by a computer algorithm.
This system was criticised for giving many students unfair and downgraded marks.
Mr Williamson originally defended the algorithm, only to make a U-turn 48 hours later.
He also faced backlash when he got free school meals campaigner Marcus Rashford mixed up with England rugby player Maro Itoje.
He was sacked for a second time as a minister during Boris Johnson's September 2021 reshuffle, after being sacked as defence secretary by former prime minister Theresa May in 2019.
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