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Original poster

Why aren’t schools giving the vaccine?

145 replies

bsquared · 23/08/2021 09:57

Schools are really efficient at giving the vaccine to school-age children and have been doing it this way for decades.

Why is the distribution of the coronavirus different?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 23/08/2021 10:02

  1. Because it's the school holidays.

  2. Because a lot of 16-17 year olds aren't in a school

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 23/08/2021 10:05

I wondered this too. They bulk vaccinate in secondary via the school nurse in the school hall so they could have done this in the holidays and had drop in sessions.

lannistunut · 23/08/2021 10:08

Do schools have nurses now?
If they do, wouldn;t school nurses be on holiday during school holidays?

Presumably it would be inefficient surely to add more complications to the vaccine supply chain just for this (relatively small) group of recipients.

Piggywaspushed · 23/08/2021 10:09

I don't think any other vaccine requires you to wait , socially distanced, for 15 minutes before release? So that's a logistic. Can you imagine how long it will take in a 1600 pupil school?

Plus, schools are doing quite a lot already. I know ASCL are opposed to more disruption when kids can go to walk in centres outside of school hours. But I know it would get better coverage.

If it gets brought down to 12 years plus, I suspect it will be done via schools.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 23/08/2021 10:09

Because the vaccine clinics are already set up, I would have thought. If they eventually do decide to vaccinate all 13yo & over that's when they'd likely go in to schools to do it.

Original poster
bsquared · 23/08/2021 10:10

... but there are no plans to do it this way, are there?

Just lots of articles in the press about poor take up among 16-18 year olds (with money spent on ad campaigns and promises of discounts on Deliveroo as incentives).

We are really good at vaccinating school-age kids in school, and traditionally do it for this age group. Why not now? There have clearly been plenty of barriers to many 16-18 year olds getting their vaccine over the holidays - why are schools not being asked to pick up the backlog?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 23/08/2021 10:11

The announcement to vaccinate 16-17 year olds was made after schools closed for the summer. If heads had been pulled back from holiday to suddenly organise a vaccination centre at the last minute I think they'd have quit en masse.

Getawaywithit · 23/08/2021 10:16

Because a lot of 16-17 year olds aren't in a school

My 17 year old will be having his at his college tomorrow Confused

Piggywaspushed · 23/08/2021 10:16

Is there stuff about poor uptake form 16-18 year olds? They can't know yet; it's only just started. the Deliveroo stuff is for 18-24 year olds.

My DS (17) only got his letter yesterday. he can't be vaccinated - because covid...

Piggywaspushed · 23/08/2021 10:17

@bsquared

... but there are no plans to do it this way, are there?

Just lots of articles in the press about poor take up among 16-18 year olds (with money spent on ad campaigns and promises of discounts on Deliveroo as incentives).

We are really good at vaccinating school-age kids in school, and traditionally do it for this age group. Why not now? There have clearly been plenty of barriers to many 16-18 year olds getting their vaccine over the holidays - why are schools not being asked to pick up the backlog?

Did you see my bit about waiting for 15 minutes?? Vaccination clinics literally already exist.
PhoboPhobia · 23/08/2021 10:18

Around here there has been poor uptake. I work on the local delivery of the vaccine roll out and we almost certainly be camped out at colleges and sixth forms come September.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 23/08/2021 10:19
  1. Schools are closed
  2. Very few dc are eligible for it
  3. They want to start vaccinating ASAP not wait weeks until term starts
  4. Haven't Schools got enough to do trying to test every pupil as well as settle them into a new school year without having to facilitate this also.
  5. Is it really too much of a hardship to ask parents to attend a local health centre.
  6. If they went to 1 school each day that could prolong the rollout, not every school has a nurse on site all the time. 1 nurse might cover a whole Borough, it would be quicker if all those eligible pupils went to see her at a health centre instead of waiting for a, term to start and b, the nurse to get round to each school
LucyLastik · 23/08/2021 10:20

@bsquared

... but there are no plans to do it this way, are there?

Just lots of articles in the press about poor take up among 16-18 year olds (with money spent on ad campaigns and promises of discounts on Deliveroo as incentives).

We are really good at vaccinating school-age kids in school, and traditionally do it for this age group. Why not now? There have clearly been plenty of barriers to many 16-18 year olds getting their vaccine over the holidays - why are schools not being asked to pick up the backlog?

Schools are already picking up the backlog of many different things. How much more do you want schools to do?
noblegiraffe · 23/08/2021 10:20

piggy I saw today that the govt has met it's target of 'offering all 16-17 year olds' the vaccine.

No idea about their target of actually jabbing them.

Getawaywithit · 23/08/2021 10:21

It’s also worth nothing that in a school without a 6th form, there will currently be no on eligible. They year 11s will start being eligible from September 1st.

Itsallabouttea · 23/08/2021 10:23

I organise the vaccine sessions in my school. We have always done HPV and teen booster, last year we added flu for year 7 only. This year it looks like we have to give flu to the whole school of 1500 so that's going to be a laugh to organise! I suppose if the covid jab is eventually approved for younger age groups we might be asked to give it in school, this would of course still require parental consent though.
I will say schools have had an absolute nightmare with last minute directives, being asked to set up test centres etc over the last year, so the idea we could pull in all our 16 year olds over the holidays just isn't feasible. Plus it's the NHS vaccine service that runs the clinics not the school so without being in contact with them you couldn't do it!

Original poster
bsquared · 23/08/2021 10:23

... but we are back in from September (and there are eligible 16-18 year olds who haven’t yet had it)... and the distribution model is already there for HPV, for example... (... and vaccination is one of the easier things that schools have to manage in terms of logistics).

Schools predate walk-in vaccination centres as a means of giving school-age children vaccination. It seems very strange that there has so far been no suggestion that schools be used for distribution.

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 23/08/2021 10:25

Can you please respond to my query about whether you have thought about the wait for 15 minutes issue, supervised? or do you not think that's an issue?

I can tell you now, school vaccines are not socially distanced. They're a scrum. We can , this once, avoid disrupting lessons, using established walk in centres.

MydogWillow · 23/08/2021 10:25

My DS only got his letter last week so think that report is a bit premature.

The walk-in centre is a train ride away but our local only 10 minutes. Waiting until our local centre are set-up to do this age group.

He is no longer at school so wouldn't come under that system but I imagine schools have enough to contend with without this.

No need to be done in school time either as centres are open into the evening.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 23/08/2021 10:25

Just lots of articles in the press about poor take up among 16-18 year olds

Can only speak for my area alone but vaccine take up in this age group has been really high.

why are schools not being asked to pick up the backlog?

Jesus have schools not got enough to do. They're there to educate not medicate

Piggywaspushed · 23/08/2021 10:26

Also, give them a chance OP. They have literally only just been offered it.

ANameChangeAgain · 23/08/2021 10:26

They wanted kids vaccinated before they went back to school, or more appropriately 6th form college. Some year 11s won't be 16 till the school year finishes, so it makes sense for the children just turned 16 to walk into an already established vaccine clinic.
We are going to have an annual booster no doubt in the future, so its likely that these will be carried out in a school.

choirmumoftwo · 23/08/2021 10:31

Apart from the other issues raised here, I suspect vaccine storage would be an issue in schools. Pfizer has very specific requirements.

ineedaholidaynow · 23/08/2021 10:32

I assume if they do agree to all 12-15 yo being offered the vaccine they may arrange for them to be done in schools. However, I can imagine the backlash from parents who don't want their child being vaccinated, assuming their child will be held down against their will and being jabbed. It was bad enough with the swab testing

lannistunut · 23/08/2021 10:34

@ineedaholidaynow

I assume if they do agree to all 12-15 yo being offered the vaccine they may arrange for them to be done in schools. However, I can imagine the backlash from parents who don't want their child being vaccinated, assuming their child will be held down against their will and being jabbed. It was bad enough with the swab testing
Schools would need to give clear info on consent and be clear that everyone is free to decline.

Although I am aware of schools testing pupils where consent had not been given, which absolutely should not happen. They did not have good processes in place, rather than anything deliberate.