Dealing with something completely different: How further and higher education leaders responded to the unexpected

Whilst it is normal for any organisation to scenario plan for events that mean they are unable to operate as normal, few if any of the organisations in the two sectors had prophesised what was to occur in March 2020. This meant that their responses had to be formulated quickly and had to bypass many of the byzantine rules that characterise education. There has been a gradual move towards the increased use of remote learning in education in the last decade, but in a famously risk-averse sector, the pace of change accelerated to such a degree that changes that would normally take many years, were implemented in the period of a few weeks. Whilst not everything has run smoothly, the overall response of the sector has been applauded and it is worth exploring the reasons why teaching in these sectors appears to have suffered far less than those in other sectors.