Letter: Teachers Need Jab as Priority

Published on: 7 Jan, 2021
Updated on: 7 Jan, 2021

From: Zöe Franklin

Guildford and Cranleigh Lib Dem spokesperson on parliamentary matters

Lib Dems have called for early vaccination for teachers after Boris Johnson admitted schools were the epicentre of high community transmission.

Day after day teachers and school staff have put themselves at enormous risk during this pandemic keeping schools open.

Now that the Prime Minister has finally admitted schools are at the epicentre of high community Covid transmission, teachers must be given priority access to the vaccine.

But vaccinating teachers on its own won’t be enough to re-open schools safely. To reduce transmission among pupils and their families, the government must review how pupil “bubbles” should work, ensure every school has its own single-school transport, and that the school’s Covid-testing programme is fit for purpose.

I welcome the move allowing teachers’ estimated grades to replace GCSE and A-level results but this decision could have been made sooner and would have avoided undue stress and worry for students, teachers and parents.

That the government acts quickly to address questions on how grades for vocational qualifications such as BTECs will be awarded is also crucial.

Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem lead for Education, has written to Gavin Williamson and Matt Hancock asking them to vaccinate teachers as part of category seven.

This would make them a top priority after everyone working in the NHS and social care and those most at risk through age, being clinically vulnerable or having an underlying health condition.