If it would help I would delay my vaccination to get children into school.

I'm sorry BlueBell, saying the old don't contribute and have had their lives is like saying we don't matter. I'm not that old anyway (67) and, after being a college lecturer for over 30 years, I still contribute by acting as an exam invigilator in a local high school. My husband still works and he's nearly 68, so are you saying he doesn't contribute? He's also got diabetes and, although he can, for the most part, work from home, needs this vaccine as soon as possible I, for one, can't wait to have it either. I wholeheartedly agree with 'growstuff's' assessment.

The primary reason behind the priority categories for vaccination is to vaccinate those who are most likely to get seriously ill and end up in hospital due to the virus. Yes children do get the virus but, for the most part, they are either asymptomatic or get a very mild illness. The main problem with children is their propensity to pass on the virus to other, possibly more vulnerable, groups. The most important thing at the moment is to try and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed - and we are dangerously close at the moment.

I do think teachers should be included with keyworkers eligible for vaccination in a few weeks time, after frontline NHS and care staff have been vaccinated. There is no reason to innoculate children at the moment and I do not think the vaccines have been tested on younger age groups in any event. As I understand it, vaccinating the most vulnerable groups first (alongside frontline health and care staff), will do the most to make it likely we can relax restrictions sooner rather than later and slowly return to normal.

That's not how it work though. If the most vulnerable in society get the vaccination first then the rest can continue as normal. The best we can do is turn up when we get the call and stay as safe as possible in the interim.

yes i saw this article too. i agree and think that as long as a child has a happy home life he /she will be ok

Vaccinations won't work if you drink alcohol because it reduces the body's immune response to the jab so give it 24hrs before and after, at least.
Alcohol interferes with the immune system anyway.

Children have already missed so much schooling since March that getting them back sooner rather than later would make much difference.

What should be done is to either cancel school-leaving exams or work out some safe way for teenagers to sit them..

All lower classes should simply repeat the school year that began last autumn when things return to normal.

Children can and should be kept at home until all risk of infection is past.

Bluebell I do not agree with your viewpoint either.

I was only wondering this yesterday. Perhaps just perhaps the wrong age group are getting vaccinated. I agree people with underlying health/carers/residents in care homes/NHS.....but I wonder if the 18 -40 ages before the fit and healthy over 60's. I myself and other over 60's are extra careful ..sticking to rules ...most can because they are retired (I know a lot are still working so perhaps they should have the vaccine too tho.

I think that when people say "I'd give my vaccination up for someone else" that means that they would rather somebody younger - son, daughter, teacher, nurse, whatever - was able to be safe and carry on with their life.
Unfortunately that's not how the vaccine works, as many other posters have pointed out. The purpose of the vaccine is to keep people well and out of hospital as much as possible. There is no way for any of us to be completely isolated from the outside world, no matter how hard we try, so the best way to help younger people get their lives back is to take the vaccine when its offered and stop trying to second guess the rationale.
To link into the education debate - if more people were educated in algebra and understanding numbers then more people would understand some of the decisions that are being taken about this vaccine.

All lower classes should simply repeat the school year that began last autumn when things return to normal.
That is one suggestion grandetante but what do we do about all next year's Reception children who are due to start in September? Do we make the age of entry to school rising six? I can't see parents being very happy to sit around for another 12 months before their child starts.

I agree wholeheartedly with lemongrove. The purpose of vaccination is to prevent severe disease and death in the elderly and clinically extremely vulnerable. It is not proven that the vaccine prevents transmission so vaccinating teachers and other public sector workers not on those groups would prevent or give them a milder infection but not stop them spreading it so children would still bring it home to those at most risk. Sorry but after 10 months in solitary confinement, normally active ,independent and only retired for 18 months I will not be forgoing my jab when my turn comes

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

This ridiculous idea that children can't catch up with their education is boring,boring, boring. Of course they can. What about during wars? What about children who come here as refugees having had little or no teaching. There are thousands upon thousands of children who catch up and go on to have good careers.

Well said

They won't vaccinate ahead of the groups in the list at moment so go ahead and have it done.

Ellianne

^All lower classes should simply repeat the school year that began last autumn when things return to normal.^
That is one suggestion grandetante but what do we do about all next year's Reception children who are due to start in September? Do we make the age of entry to school rising six? I can't see parents being very happy to sit around for another 12 months before their child starts.

Some children are almost a year older than others in the same year group anyway. I don't think they need to repeat a year. Any half-decent primary school teacher can adapt to children at different stages.

There is absolutely no reason set in stone anywhere (apart from the national curriculum) that children at a certain age should be able to do x, y or z. I think parents have become obsessed with those progress books they are given when a child is born stating that a toddler of 12 months should be able to do certain things. Real children aren't like that.

grandtante Most school leaving exams in the UK have been cancelled.

Vaccination of the elderly first isn't just a matter of caring about their lives, although I would say that survival should be considered more important than education if they are being weighed against each other.

The obvious reason is that the old are more likely to get very sick and require hospitalisation, which risks overwhelming the NHS. Unless we have a draconian policy of leaving older people to die at home without treatment, they need to be vaccinated first, along with anyone with serious co-morbidities.

Vaccinating the teachers wouldn't mean that schools could open, anyway. There's still the problem of children mixing, and then taking the virus home to their families. Young children are, as one teacher said, "small humans whose idea of social distancing is to lick each other to see if they taste like Quavers."

Can anyone suggest how repeating a year would be staffed ? Even if you put back the starting age to 6 you would still have a year extra of children to accommodate somewhere, nurseries would presumably have to take up that number. You would also have a year at the top end of universities without any first year students, something they certainly wouldn't accept. They would lose a fortune in fees, particularly since overseas students aren't coming here.

Why not reduce school holidays this year to help children ‘catch up’. If the teaching Unions care so much about education surely this has to be a consideration. Schools closed until half term and then we have half term! Why can’t Easter and Summer holidays be shortened this year?

There is absolutely no way that I would delay my vaccination. I may be retired and can therefore isolate easily but I’ve worked hard all my life and saved so that I could have a busy and active and useful( ie doing voluntary work) retirement. In addition my AC are desperate for me and my DH to have it. They want our involvement in their lives to return and want us to see our GC before it’s too late. May not have many years of healthy life left!

Gwyneth

Why not reduce school holidays this year to help children ‘catch up’. If the teaching Unions care so much about education surely this has to be a consideration. Schools closed until half term and then we have half term! Why can’t Easter and Summer holidays be shortened this year?

Why? The idea of "catching up" is a myth.

School buildings might be out of bounds for most children, but teachers will still be working.

Absolutely agree with Growstuff about their being no reason apart from the national curriculum why children need to know a certain thing by a certain time. What they need to be taught is how to find out, and encouraged to want to learn, not stuffed with facts in order to pass a glorified memory test.
If they enjoy learning they will catch up, because they will want to.

I think parents have become obsessed with those progress books they are given when a child is born stating that a toddler of 12 months should be able to do certain things. Real children aren't like that.
You're right growstuff we have created a generation of parents who want it all straightaway, even where their young babies are concerned. I remember walking home from the clinic one day in tears because my son hadn't performed in a test and had to go back 3 weeks later. Maybe he was just being uncooperative on that day.
This then continues into the education of their children. If rising 6s had to sit it out for another 12 months before starting school some (silly) parents would even be employing tutors at that young age.
trisher is right in that there would need to be a lot more EY staff too to take up that number.