West Dorset MP Chris Loder has praised St Mary's Primary School in Bridport for going "above and beyond" during the pandemic, as he called for vaccinations for teachers to be given higher priority.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday (Tuesday), Mr Loder addressed Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, asking him to place vaccinations for teaching staff higher on the agenda, following the efforts they had made to continue the education of young people in challenging circumstances.

Mr Loder paid particular tribute to St Mary's Primary School, along with Mountjoy School in Beaminster, Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis, The Gryphon School in Sherborne and St Osmund's Middle School in Dorchester, saying they had "totally gone above and beyond in delivering education to our children in West Dorset".

He added: "Their work, education, the logistics, the care, the support of their pupils has been absolutely excellent."

Mr Loder commented: "The reality is that schools, their headteachers and teams are making valiant efforts to continue educating our children, their pupils, not matter what the circumstance they face.

"Whilst I know schools are closed to most children, I have one school in West Dorset with 60 per cent of children who are children of critical workers of those of particular need.

"I have been in regular contact with the headteachers in my constituency and I have been consistently in awe of the way they continue to handle the most difficult of situations.

"COVID testing in schools has been a great, logistical challenge but nonetheless our schools, particularly those in West Dorset, have been willing to put all the measures in place to carry on.

"Teachers across the nation, I know, have gone above and beyond, to support our young people through the pandemic, which has been no mean feat.

"West Dorset schools have made the transition to online learning extraordinarily quickly, thereby ensuring that students do not fall behind. They have kept their doors open for the children of critical workers and they have built COVID-secure infrastructure entirely from scratch in many cases.

"The government has kept schools open for as long as possible to reduce the disruptions to education and I know the decision to close was not one that was taken lightly at all.

"Despite the short notice on many of these decisions, teachers in my constituency have been enormously responsive to these changing circumstances."

Watch Chris Loder's full speech in the House of Commons in the video above.

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