Commenting as the government seems set to offer the Covid vaccine to 16 and 17-year-olds, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"The debate about whether or not to vaccinate older children has been raging for many weeks. NAHT has always said that UK policy on child vaccination should be led by clinicians. To the extent that any such policy is controversial it is clear that schools should not carry any responsibility for vaccination promotion, enforcement or policing.

“Regardless of the extent that young people might suffer directly from the virus, the large numbers of pupils absent from school at the end of last term showed that COVID still has the power to affect the quality and continuity of the education they receive. That is a continuing worry for school leaders.

“Pupils will return to schools next month, and the government needs to take every possible step to prevent transmission of the virus amongst people in school communities, no matter their age. As ever, it will be a matter of public confidence in whatever these measures are deemed to be, so the government also has a duty to communicate carefully and clearly in order to avoid any more unnecessary disruption and missed education for pupils.”