A Gedling borough councillor is calling on health chiefs to prioritise teachers for Covid vaccines so local schools can reopen.
Councillor Henry Wheeler is the Nottinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board representative for Gedling.
He has now asked officials why school staff have not been mentioned as a priority for the Covid-19 vaccination.
Wheeler said: “We’ve had lots of noise arguments and debates about the safety of schools. We’ve had lots of noise from the government about testing in schools, however I am yet to see or hear about a single school in Gedling borough where tests for Covid-19 have been carried out”.
“I’ve not heard a single Government minister mention vaccinating school staff. It’s not rocket science, it makes perfect common sense to me if we want schools to be safe for school staff”
“Throughout the Autumn Term staff in schools worked flat out trying to ensure schools were safe places to learn, despite this there were cases of Covid -19 in schools weekly, sometimes daily and sometimes there were multiple cases.
“In some schools students came back from isolation only to be sent home to isolate again creating huge disruption for pupils and parents and carers”
“Yet school staff are not even mentioned within the professions being priotised for the vaccine why! It needs to be said that despite schools being closed to most pupils.”
“School support staff Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Learning Mentors and Pastoral staff will be proudly working in school looking after vulnerable children and the children of key workers, whilst site staff, cleaning staff.
“They will be proudly working to ensure school sites are safe and clean for those vulnerable children and children of key workers, as well as those Learning Support staff who will be continuing to be at schools across the Borough during this lockdown”.
“Surely if we are to resolve the situation in schools then staff working in schools should be given parity with other professionals working in healthcare or other frontline services such as the police.”
Mr Wheeler said he s backing the TUC and Labour Party Let’s Vaccinate Britain Campaign.
He raised the issue of vaccinating school staff at yesterday’s Health and Wellbeing Board meeting.
