An Academy Trust CEO has called for school staff to be prioritised in the coronavirus vaccine roll out.
Currently, the UK has two coronavirus vaccines being administered to people across the UK as the battle with Covid-19 continues.
The first of the two, the Pfizer jab, was approved for use in the UK in December 2020 and the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine was rolled out on Monday (January 4).
The coronavirus vaccine is a two-step process, with people given two doses of the vaccine, 12 weeks apart.
With the Oxford vaccine now being rolled out, it is hoped that millions of people will have received it by April, driving down coronavirus cases and allowing restrictions to be eased in Britain.
There are increased calls to make England's lockdown rules stricter, with 'worried' vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi saying the government is reviewing all the restrictions.
Teachers are not currently considered as a priority to receive the vaccine, after the provisional vaccine priority list published by Public Health England has placed people aged 18 or older who are deemed clinically extremely vulnerable in the same priority group as those aged 70 and over.
It means people with conditions such as blood, bone or lung cancer, chronic kidney disease and Down’s Syndrome have been placed in priority group four of nine.
However, Sir John Townsley, Chief Executive of The GORSE Academies Trust in Leeds, has spoken of his displeasure at teachers not been seen to as a priority.
Sir Townsley said: "It is extraordinary that teachers and other frontline school staff are not being prioritised in the vaccine roll-out programme.
"Ensuring frontline school staff are healthy is essential if we are to keep schools open so children can maintain their education, as well as professionals being able to carry out essential welfare and safeguarding checks on students. Prioritising them in the vaccine roll-out is a matter of urgency if we are to expect them to continue to play their crucial role.
"Clearly teachers and teaching assistants should come after the elderly, other vulnerable members of society, care home workers and NHS staff but currently school staff are not mentioned at all as a priority group.
"Ministers’ words of appreciation are not matched by the prioritisation of teachers’ welfare. I urge the Government to look at this again."
