LETTERS have been sent to Powys MP's by school governors urging for teachers to be prioritised for Coved-19 vaccination.

The Governors Consultative Committee for Powys County Council, representing all governing bodies in the county, are making the case for vaccinating all school staff to Montgomeryshire MP Craig Willaims and Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones.

This would include teachers, teaching assistants and nursery workers.

The letter states: "Many of our teachers work with children who are not able to reliably maintain social distancing, whether that is because they are too young, or they have additional learning needs. Children may require intimate care.

"Although it could be expected that provided PPE would protect staff it should be noted that the need to give intimate care was one of the reasons for front-line care staff (who would also be using PPE) being in the first priority group.

"Wiping bottoms, changing pants, wiping noses, dealing with cuts and scrapes or just coming alongside children who need reassurance or assistance raises the risk to staff. Statistics would seem to indicate that teachers etc are at no higher risk than the general population.

"However, children are very often asymptomatic when they catch Covid 19, and also the new variants that are emerging, and will continue to emerge, seem to be much easier to transmit. School environments are as safe as we can make them, with all the measures we are taking, but we cannot cover what goes on outside school.

"Children tell us that they are still mixing with others who do not live with them, going to parties and having sleepovers. All these things cause stress and anxiety for school staff, not just for themselves but for those they are going home to. To keep them safe, to allow them to relax and just get on with educating our children and grandchildren it makes sense to vaccinate them before schools are opened back up for more pupils.

On economic reasons, the letter states: "Although schools should never be considered as free daycare it is certainly true that working parents are suffering with trying to; -

- balance the demands of working from home;

- helping children doing education at home;

- entertaining bored and lonely children;

- finding childcare and keeping their jobs.

"Non-working parents also suffer from the unprecedented situation of lock-down that we find ourselves in. Some will have lost jobs during this pandemic and not be able to see a way forward whilst children are having to learn at home.

"It is in the interests of getting the economy moving, and keeping as many jobs as we can, to open up more schools safely. We would argue strongly that vaccinating teaching staff is key to achieving this and to maintaining it.

"In summary we would like the priority lists to include teachers, teaching assistants and pre-school workers. If they could be allowed to at least register for reserve slots so that vaccine does not go to waste through non-attendance this would be a start and would not take away from existing priority groups. Please consider the benefits of doing so."