Teachers need vaccine says Harrogate union rep

A Harrogate teacher is supporting calls by a union to ensure teachers are vaccinated alongside other frontline workers.

Sharon Calvert, teacher and the national executive member of NASUWT for the Harrogate area, believes teachers need to be vaccinated for their own health and to ensure schools can safely reopen.

The government has said 88% of all covid fatalities are from vulnerable groups making it necessary to prioritise the vaccine for those most at-risk.

When schools reopened in September many introduced a bubble system to reduce contact between students and staff. Some age groups were told to wear face masks in corridors.

Ms Calvert supports her union’s campaign ‘Vaccinate to Educate’. The union launched a petition which has reached almost 460,000 signatures and is set to be debated in parliament tonight.

Ms Calvert said:

“Teachers are frontline workers! We have seen whole year groups sent home and many in the schools in the Harrogate area struggle to maintain a safe environment. It would be prudent for all educational staff to be tested and prioritised to be vaccinated to ensure that staff will be protected.”

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Many teachers are still heading into school to teach vulnerable or key worker children.

Ms Calvert said specialist schools are also open and, due to the children’s needs, teachers are unlikely to be able to maintain a safe distance or wear face coverings:

“Special schools are still open to all students. Staff at these schools are working with vulnerable young adults who may need personal care, certainly a two meter distance is not achievable so the staff need to be prioritised as caregivers as well as teachers.

“This will also protect those vulnerable students.”

Union concerns over disabled teachers returning to district’s schools

Teachers’ unions have said they are concerned about the safety of teachers with disabilities returning to school in the Harrogate district. Most schools re-open tomorrow morning.

Sharon Calvert, local representative for the NASUWT Teachers’ Union, said the union had received particular concern from those who work in secondary schools.

It comes as pupils are set to return to school this week with a number of “significant changes” in place at schools across the district in an effort to abide by social distancing guidelines.

But Ms Calvert said unions are still concerned over the safety of vulnerable teachers who may be at risk from the virus and what procedures are in place to protect staff.

She said:

“The top and bottom of it is that teachers had concerns about returning to school and we have got issues with teachers who have disabilities.

“There is a lot of concern because it is the most vulnerable who are at risk. It seems to be that people who are disabled are ignored.”

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Union bosses said they have offered their members advice and guidance on returning to school, including a feedback form on the safety of their workplace.

It comes as schools across the district have put in place measures ahead of the return of pupils for the new term.

Measures include wearing face masks and separating year groups.

Among those to have announced the adaptations is Harrogate Grammar School with a number of “significant changes” in place to ensure safety and limit coronavirus outbreaks.

The school has reorganised classrooms and the cafeteria, staggered lunch and finish times and put in place a contingency plan for those needing to self-isolate. Additional cleaning staff have also been hired.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council has put on extra buses in the district in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus among pupils going back to school.

The Department for Education has said it is committed to ensuring that pupils and staff return safely to school.