Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Children aged 5 to 11 years who are in a clinical risk group or who live with someone who is immunosuppressed can get the COVID-19 vaccine, in line with advice set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Eligible children include those with diabetes, immunosuppression, learning disabilities, and other conditions as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the Green Book.
Vaccinations help to increase protection against COVID-19, which is particularly important for those with underlying health conditions.
Further information is available in the guide for parents of children aged 5 to 11 years published by UKHSA. We have published some frequently asked questions on the vaccination programme including information on eligibility, accessibility and advice for parents of children at high risk from COVID-19.
Following advice from the JCVI, healthy 5 to 11 year old children will also be offered two 10 microgram doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April.
The Department for Education COVID-19 helpline is available to answer any questions you have about COVID-19 relating to education and childcare settings and children’s social care. |
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is distressing and concerning, and we understand children and young people may have questions or be seeking reassurance. We know that schools are well placed to talk to pupils about the images they are seeing and help them navigate the concepts and issues this brings up but we’re also aware that it raises issues some schools and teachers may never have encountered before.
Here we share some useful advice and resources for schools and teachers – but they may also be useful for families and young people themselves.
The Educate Against Hate website is a useful resource when dealing with a range of issues relating to conflict, difficult classroom conversations and more. A post by Tom Bigglestone, a former Head of Humanities and now Online Learning Manager at The Economist Educational Foundation, encourages teachers to:
Educate against hate also has a range of teaching resources aimed at promoting dialogue in the classroom that can support students to achieve a greater understanding of complex and sensitive topics.
Mis- and disinformation are particularly prevalent during times of conflict and the risk posed by misleading narratives and information becomes more severe. Educate Against Hate hosts content produced by Be Internet Citizens, an educational programme developed by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue and YouTube. Covers topics including:
Educate Against Hate also hosts a one hour lesson plan from the Economist Educational Foundation that explores why conspiracy theories are more common in times of crisis, why people spread them and how they should be debunked.