Schools in Staffordshire will play an important part in rolling out Covid-19 vaccinations in the coming weeks.

The Government along with the UK's Chief Medical Officers have recommended that all 12-15-year-olds will be offered one dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Parental consent will be sought, with the Government promising to ensure all parents are able to make informed decisions about getting their child vaccinated.

Staffordshire County Council will also be supporting schools, young people and parents, working with the local NHS to roll out the vaccinations and minimise disruption for pupils.

The vaccinations themselves will be delivered by the same nursing teams who carry out flu vaccinations in schools during the Autumn term.

Dr Richard Harling, Director for Public Health at Staffordshire County Council said: "Our secondary schools have tried and tested vaccination programmes, working with our local NHS colleagues. I anticipate that this programme will run in much the same way as the flu vaccination programme, which has been very successful over several years.

"We will be supporting our schools to deliver both the Covid-19 and flu vaccines in a timely way. We will also support parents and give them all of the information they need to make decisions about vaccinating their children."

Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Schools at Staffordshire County Council: "By vaccinating the younger age groups in schools, we can go further in preventing the spread of Covid-19 in schools and the knock-on effect it has on local communities. We can also protect staff and minimise disruption to learning.

"Schools have always played a major part in vaccination programmes over the years, and we will be doing everything we can alongside the NHS to support them. We also want to support parents to make informed decisions about their child's vaccination."

More details on the vaccination programme in schools will be finalised in the coming days.