THERE are currently no plans to make the vaccination of Wales' teachers against coronavirus a priority.

That was the message from first minister Mark Drakeford at the Welsh Government's coronavirus update briefing earlier today.

Mr Drakeford said that Welsh Government vaccination policy was informed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and that of the Chief Medical Officer "as to which groups should be at the front of the queue for vaccination".

The JCVI is reviewing the evidence all the time, said Mr Drakeford, "and if the advice were to change and put professional groups at the front, we would change that priority list".

But at the moment, he added, pursuing the vaccination of the groups as listed is considered to be "the right thing to do".

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He said that he "understands the anxieties that staff working in schools experience", as well as supermarket employees, bus drivers and waste and recycling collection workers.

"We will do everything we can to work with teaching unions and people who work in schools to make this workplace as safe as possible," he said.

"We have to work together on this agenda, because we have a common aim - trying to repair the damage done to the education of our children in the 12 months gone by."

Part of this reparation process may include the extension of the summer term, a potential solution which would come on top of a "considerable sum of money" already invested in a catch-up programme for pupils by the Welsh Government.

Local education authorities, he added, have employed around 1,000 extra staff beyond those normally in the classroom to staff that programme.

Also being considered is whether an extension of funding of the programme can be made.