A YORK school is to become one of 25 centres across the country where St John Ambulance First Aiders will undergo training in how to administer Covid vaccinations.

Scores of St John Ambulance members from across the region will come to St Peter’s School every weekend to be trained up, so they can relieve stretched NHS staff at vaccination centres across the UK.

A spokeswoman for the independent school in Clifton said it was one of 25 sites across the country to be selected as a Covid Vaccination Training Centre by St John Ambulance.

"St John Ambulance have been asked by NHS England to set up Covid Vaccination Training Centres across the UK, where they will train their existing First Aiders to be able to administer vaccinations."

She said weekend training sessions would be held at the school on Saturdays and Sundays from tomorrow, with each course completed in a day.

"St Peter’s has provided four ventilated training rooms, enabling St John Ambulance to train up to 90 first aiders each day whilst complying with social distancing regulations," she said.

"The school will be used as a Covid Vaccination Training Centre for up to nine weeks, depending on when the pupils return to Saturday School

Head Master Jeremy Walker said: “I am so glad that we can support St John Ambulance in their vital work and play a small part in helping the rapid rollout of the vaccination programme.”