Headteacher on Essa Academy's role in fighting rising covid infection rates

The eyes of the country have been on Essa Academy after the Great Lever school was chosen as a covid vaccination site in a bid to control the spike in infections, especially in the BL3 and Bl4 area.

More than 6,200 vaccines were administered in the grounds of the school over the weekend, with a record breaking 3,072 people receiving the jab on Sunday alone.

The mobile vaccination bus will remain on the grounds all week.

Headteacher of Essa Academy Martin Knowles said he was 'delighted' his school had been chosen to host the bus and the pop-up vaccination tents.

Martin Knowles

He said: "This was moment in time.

"I was giving out school cookies and drinks, I just wanted to help, and it was so humbling ­— the slickness of the operation, the buzz in the area.

"A guy down the road had a stall outside his house, it was just special ­— it was one of those days in your career where you go 'wow'."

The head approached Bolton Council to see what the school could do to help bring infection rates down in the community.

He explained: "We started the conversation about the vaccine bus and I said 'let's do it', I will find space for it and when that picked up, I said I would find space for St John's Ambulance."

Mr Knowles believes the overwhelming success of the vaccination operation is partly down to the role the school plays in the community.

'I think the key is this school has got a really strong reputation now and a real degree of trust in the local area and I think it is so accessible," he explained "Everyone knows us and everyone knows what we are about and bringing the bus here adds to that confidence.

"It is on a school site, it’s a trusted school so therefore people say they are going to come and access the vaccine on the site.

“I’ve just looked outside and there are big queues again.

“I have see parents of students in the queue and I saw ex-students on Sunday, it is just amazing."

With rising coronavirus infections in the community, a number of pupils in schools across Bolton are self-isolating after positive covid tests were recorded.

Education chiefs at Bolton Council say the majority of young people remain in school and says Mr Knowles schools remain safe ­— and important ­— places to be .

People queue for the vaccination centre at the Essa Academy in Bolton. The Indian coronavirus variant has been detected in a number of areas in England, including Bolton, which are reporting the highest rates of infection, data suggests. Picture date:

He said: "I made a statement about keeping face covering in place before the discussions started.

"It is just right and proper we continue with the face masks and the measures we have got in place, the high ventilation, and so one.

"I do believe the vaccination programme we have is the way out of this crisis and the more people that get vaccinated and quickly the more we will suppress the virus and the quicker we will get back to normality for everybody.

"Young people have been disproportionately bee impacted. Some will have suffered family losses, illness and also financially.

"School is their ticket to a great future.

"So the more we can protect the community, we protect the students and schools ­— meaning we protect their futures and that’s the thing."

Mr Knowles added: " We will beat this ­— look what we can do in a space of a few days, what a town.

"Bolton NHS, Bolton GP Federation, Bolton CCG, Bolton Council, St John Ambulance and the army of volunteers ­— they have all been immense, they are just amazing."