A college in Colchester has had a new bus pull into its car park – but it’s not quite the school bus of the traditional kind taking students to class each morning.

Instead, it is an NHS vaccination bus which is arriving at Colchester Institute to encourage the younger generation to get a dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The further edication college has about 7,000 students aged 16 and above – the age-group which started receiving jabs in England last month.

Executive vice-principal at the college Gary Horne hoped that increasing the rate of vaccination amongst teenagers would allow for an uninterrupted year of education.

He said: “Not only are the students encouraged to get vaccinated to support their own health in reducing the severity and the spread of the virus, but also they’re doing it support their colleagues in class, their families and friends.”

Students have said the convenience of having the vaccination bus on campus was an added incentive to get the jab.

One college student said: “I didn’t even know it was coming, but it gives me a good opportunity to get the vaccine, stay safe and keep my friends and my family safe.”

Natasha Jones, who is the service manager for the vaccination bus, added that students seeing their classmates get the jab would encourage greater numbers to get the coronavirus vaccine.

She said: “It’s convenient for them to come in between lessons, be encouraged by their peers and to encourage their peers as well to get the vaccine, and also spread the word.”