A school has apologised after accidentally sending out an anti-vax letter to parents.
Redborne Upper School and Community College in Ampthill, Beds., sent a form that appeared to be a checklist with NHS branding to pupils' homes ahead of them receiving a Covid jab.
But they later realised it was fake and appears to have been circulated by vaccine opponents.
School leaders across England have been cautioned to look out for similar letters, which include negative claims about the vaccine.
Redborne headteacher Olly Button asked parents to ignore the letter after accidentally sending it on Monday, BBC reports.
The "consent checklist" claimed to be from "NHS Vaccines" and had a 10-point list of concerns about the vaccine.
The vaccine is being offered to 12 to 15-year-olds across the UK this term.
In a letter to parents after the checklist was sent out on Monday, Mr Button said: "Apologies for any confusion or unnecessary stress caused by [the] earlier communication sent by Redborne on behalf of what at first sight appears to be the NHS.
"The email and attachment were sent in error and include a student consent checklist for Covid-19.
"This is not from the NHS and is believed to be from a group wishing to disrupt the vaccination programme."
He asked parents to ignore the original email and checklist, and pupils will be spoken to about it Tuesday.
Some 3 million youngsters are now eligible for the Covid vaccine as part of wider Government efforts to battle the virus this winter.
The rollout has started in England, Scotland and Wales, and in Northern Ireland the vaccinations are expected to be offered from October.
It comes as parents are being warned against hoax Covid-19 vaccine consent letters sent to schools in England that aim to spread anti-vaccine misinformation.
Some headteachers have reportedly been targeted by letters under a fake NHS logo, which they are asked to share with parents and students.
The letters are presented as being a consent form and include a "consent checklist” alongside information to be sent to parents ahead of pupils receiving a vaccine.
But the checklist includes a series of negative claims about the risks of vaccinations to young people.
Below an "NHS Vaccines" logo, the letter lists claims such as the vaccine being a risk for "strokes, blindness, deafness, clotting, miscarriages, anaphylaxis and cardiovascular disorders".
These hoax letters are not being sent out by the NHS, said NHS England medical director for Covid immunisation, Dr Jonathan Leach, after one parent shared a "checklist" on Twitter.
The DHSC said any unauthorised use of the NHS logo was taken very seriously, according to the BBC.
A DHSC spokesperson said: ”Misinformation about the vaccine is dangerous and costs lives. We are continuing to do everything we can, working with local authorities and our NHS, to counter the spread of untruths with public information that is grounded in science and facts.”
