TEACHERS should be prioritised for the Covid vaccine to keep England’s schools open, MPs and heads have demanded.
The call comes amid fury that more than 1 million primary school kids in the worst Covid hotspots will not return to the classroom as planned.
Experts begged ministers to use the many millions of doses of the Oxford vaccine to inoculate England’s army of school staff.
They said this is the only way to get kids back to class quickly and prevent a massive education postcode lottery opening up.
Steve Chalke, who runs the Oasis Academy Trust which has more than 50 schools, said “only the vaccine changes the game”.
He said: “Not only are school staff key workers. More than that, they are now in the eye of the Covid storm.
“So we must offer them the protection they need to do the job.
“That means ensuring they are at the front of the queue – on a par with NHS and care workers – to be offered the vaccine.”
It came as:
- Another 20 million people woke up in Tier 4 today as three quarters of England was shoved into the highest level of restrictions
- A Sage expert said England will probably be in a full lockdown by the end of January – but Gavin Williamson ruled out national action
- Boris said the Tiers system would likely last until April – but may be moved up if the vaccine rollout goes well
- Deaths reached nearly 1,000 yesterday – with 50,000 new cases
Robert Halfon, Tory MP and boss of the education select committee, also weighed in.
He told BBC Breakfast: “Now that we’ve got the Oxford vaccine, I want to see that teachers and support staff are made an absolute priority for vaccinations.
“Because if we can make sure that they’re vaccinated and they’re safe, it’s less likely that schools will have to close.”
One teacher, Lucy, told LBC she was “petrified” at the thought of catching Covid at school – and that she was losing her hair and sleep over it.
She said: “This is just so terrifying for all of us. I do not know or cannot remember…. deciding to put my life and the life of my family on the line to educate children.
“It is terrifying.”
