Thank you for dropping by, below is a letter to parents of school age children about Covid immunisation. Following the distribution of the letter today, I understand there was some concern expressed to the Head about the content and the manner of dispersal. It goes without saying that my intention was not to cause 'distress' to anyone, simply as per the gentle tone of my letter, communicate on the issue. It's important we communicate well, rather than escalate at this time, so if  you want to contact me direct, you can do so through the email at the bottom of this page, and I would be pleased to hear any concerns or support. Maybe coming together to talk face to face sensibly as parents would be fruitful, let me know what you think :)

Note: The original letter and contents of this website were not designed to be shared outside of our parental community.

Dear Parents,

It has been a tough year for everyone and in particular it has been challenging for those with children. As a trustee of the charity that runs the school and as a parent with children currently at the school, we are blessed to be part of this amazing community and I stand with you personally in the trials. During this season, our Headteacher and team have done a good job carrying on the work of running the school day to day, working hard to maintain the joyful culture of the school for the sake of the students and staff, doing all they could to keep disruption to a minimum.

The issue of vaccinating 12-15 year olds for covid, has aroused strong feelings. The reasons for vaccinating children have been widely reported and centre around protecting others, reducing disruption to education and getting the country back on its feet after the enormous challenges we have all faced. Over recent months the trustees have met to discuss whether the school should offer this particular new vaccine. During this time I have felt clear that the school should not take part in the rollout and I admit that it has not been an easy path. Please do continue to pray for all of us involved in the leadership of the school, that we will know God’s wisdom as we seek to honour the call and privilege we hold.

To clarify, I am writing as an individual trustee, and not as a representative of the board. I have spent a considerable amount of time reviewing a range of information and have decided to share some of this with you. The aim is not to stir up division but rather help you be as informed as you can be when making your decision. It is a complex issue and I am not offering medical advice. I believe that you as parents should remain in control of your children’s healthcare and we need to be able to walk forward together in our differences as well as our shared values.

Here are some of the main issues I have considered:

1. Ethically, never before has a vaccine been given to protect others from an illness. Until now they were given to protect the individual receiving the injection. Healthy children are at a near zero risk of developing complications from covid, so giving this jab to children crosses that ethical line for the first time because it is being done to protect others. Children with underlying medical conditions, who are at more risk if they become ill, have already been offered the vaccine in the UK before the summer. Here Dr Ros Jones (retired paediatric consultant) shares her views (7mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkCTT2IFZ8Q

2. There is growing evidence that vaccinated people can still pass on the virus to others, so the argument that vaccinating children will protect others is also questionable. Here is a link to one such study; a reprint from 'The Lancet' medical journal: https://bit.ly/3AZXfEu

3. Taking the risk to be vaccinated, is a calculation of potential benefit from avoiding disease against the effects of the vaccine. Most adults have decided to live with the risk of taking the vaccine without long term test data. It is a very different calculation for children, who, again, have little disease and their entire productive lives ahead of them. It is not known what effects this vaccine might have on their reproductive health or any number of vital long-term physical and mental factors. Here Dr Robert Malone (on the left), who invented the mRNA technology used in the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines, speaks about one or two of the issues that remain unaddressed (5mins): https://bit.ly/3DW9UtU

4. The JCVI (Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisation) that was set up by the government to review vaccine rollouts did not approve immunisation for 12-15 year olds as they saw no significant clinical benefit to children. The decision was passed to Chris Whitty and colleagues to look at wider reasons. Many feel that this moved the medical decision away from healthcare into the realm of political, social and educational policy. This link to the government's website gives their explanation of how the roll-out decision was reached: https://bit.ly/3vwfnEY

5. The ‘Gillick’ competence protocol being applied to 12-15 year olds creates further pressure to reduce the authority of parents in this context. The govt have expressed their intent to use this legislative tool with regard to the Covid vaccinations. This age group are not allowed to consent to paid jobs or sexual relationships, nor vote, but they are being allowed to consent to this type of medical intervention. This issue is covered in the same video with Dr Ros Jones, as linked to above in point 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkCTT2IFZ8Q

6. John Piper, a well known theologian and pastor, has come out strongly against vaccines that have connections with aborted fetal tissue. The Astra Zeneca vaccine used aborted tissue cell lines in its development, while the Pfizer/Moderna product proposed for 12-15yr olds, was tested, rather than developed, using aborted tissue cell lines. So both products benefit in some way from an aborted child. 'The Conversation’ helpfully unpacks this issue: https://bit.ly/2YZR7yF The main point Christians seem to differ over is the length of time since the abortion and the cell cloning. John Piper's thoughts on the morality of this can be found here on the Desiring God platform (the transcript is below the audio): https://bit.ly/3peX4D0

My thoughts and prayers are with you as you work through these difficult topics. Regardless of any differences we all may hold, we must continue to work together for the very best for our children, who ultimately are the reason we are all united at this wonderful school.

Warm regards,
James
Trustee, (and grateful parent)