NEU comments on Gavin Williamson words on school staff being a “top priority” in next phase of vaccine rollout

Commenting on the Education Secretary’s remarks to the Commons Education Select Committee this morning, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“The NEU accepts that the oldest and most vulnerable, along with health and care staff, must be offered protection first. It is good news that education staff will be 'top priority' in the next phase and that the Government has accepted our arguments that it is vitally important that education staff are protected as soon as possible. This will help make schools/colleges safer for staff and reduce the disruption caused by COVID-19 absences. However, the issue of transmission of the virus among students and into communities will continue. As ever the devil is in the detail and the Government has a poor track record on delivering on its promises. We look forward to hearing more detail about the timetable for this.”