A YORK headteacher says he does not expect his pupils aged 12-15 to get the Covid jab until the middle to end of November.

Steve Lewis, head of Fulford School, said in a letter to parents that the school had expected the role out of vaccines for 12 to 15 year olds before the half term break, 'but that will not happen now until mid to late November.'

He said the school had continued to reduce the speed of the spread of Covid, whilst still aiming to provide as close a feeling of normality to the school day as possible.

"We have continued to emphasise the need for good hygiene, good ventilation and have continued to ask staff and students to wear face coverings in communal indoor spaces."

He said he hadspoken with York's Director of Public Health and she had said the driver of Covid cases in the city remained school aged children, with the majority of household transmissions coming through school aged children.

"In line with her recommendations and in the absence of the expected vaccine roll out, we have decided to continue to ask all students and staff, who can, to continue wearing face coverings inside communal areas until there is a reduction in the rates of transmissions."

He said students had reacted with 'patience and great maturity' to the school's ongoing requests.