Union call to prioritise teacher vaccination to get children back to school

Rates of coronavirus prevalence amongst school staff are between three to four times higher than average for other adults, NASUWT added.

General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said teachers were unable to practice social distancing from their pupils.

He said: “Such a move is essential both to help protect teachers and their pupils but to allow the country to move to a situation where children are back in schools and colleges, minimising the disruption to their education.”

He added: “It is right that health and social care staff are prioritised, but the NASUWT also believes that teachers must also be identified as a priority group for the vaccine.”

All mainstream schools have been asked to provide remote learning until the half-term break in the middle of February to hamper virus spread.

Dr Roach said a bad situation had become worse by the day during the autumn.

He added: “Now, at the start of 2021, the position is as bad if not worse than it was in March.

“The impact on this generation of children and young people should not be underestimated and, it is our view, that everything that can be done should be done to ensure the safe and sustainable resumption of school and college-based education for all pupils as quickly as possible.”

National official in Northern Ireland, Justin McCamphill said it is in the interest of wider public health that all teachers and education staff are prioritised in the roll-out of vaccines.

“It is particularly important for staff in special schools and all those working face-to-face with children and young people right now.

“Getting schools open again as soon as possible, without further disruption, means not only that lessons need to be learned, but also that credible and sustainable solutions are implemented.

“This means that tougher control measures will be needed to ensure workplace safety, together with priority roll out of the coronavirus vaccines to all frontline education staff in order to minimise further disruption to children’s education.”