An after- thought Teachers and Covid vaccines

ON THE subject of education, Boris Johnson’s reluctance to shut schools until mid- February at the very earliest is contrasted by his uncharacteristic reticence over their reopening and reluctance to set out a provisional timetable.

However this will only be possible once teachers – and school staff – have been vaccinated. Yet, when pressed on this by MPs as pupils lose at least half a term of classroom tuition, the Prime Minister said this necessity “will be borne in mind”.

What is there to question, Mr Johnson?

If schools are to reopen at the earliest opportunity, and disruption to learning kept to an absolute minimum, then the Government need to be preparing and planning now to inoculate teachers and other key workers for that matter.

Yes, this might involve difficult trade- offs as the Government prioritise the over- 80s, but the PM’s pledge to chart progress on the roll- out of vaccines “jab by jab” from next week onwards needs to be slightly more subtle.

After all, now is the time for Ministers to avoid the entirely foreseeable scenario – and a very plausible one given this Government’s track record to date – in which some schools have to stay shut because a random selection of teachers, and staff, have received a Covid vaccine.

For too long, education has been treated as an afterthought by Boris Johnson’s government. Yet, judging by the political and public response to the latest lockdown, it is now the central issue because of the impact of school closures on families, childcare and all those pupils whose futures have been placed at risk.