Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the coverage levels of school-based (1) tetanus, (2), diphtheria, (3) polio, and (4) COVID-19, vaccination programmes; and what steps they are taking to increase such coverage.

The combined tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccine coverage in year nine cohorts in 2020 to 2021 was 76.4%, compared to 57.6% in 2019 to 2020 and 87.6% in 2018 to 2019. In addition, updated data for the year 10 cohort in the 2020 to 2021 academic year estimated coverage at 80.3%. This is a 22.7 % increase for the same cohort when in year nine in 2019 to 2020. No specific assessment has been made of COVID-19 vaccine uptake as it is not solely delivered in a school-based setting.

To achieve high coverage, vaccinations programmes are co-ordinated nationally, using highly trained staff with improved access to vaccine information. A out-of-school offer is in place to enable eligible children and young people to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at the nearest available vaccination centre. All providers continue to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement, with clinical advice from the UK Health Security Agency, to deliver all missed school-aged vaccinations.  National Health Service school-aged immunisation providers are now resuming educational activities, such as school assemblies, to educate students of the benefits of routine NHS immunisation programmes.