PUPILS at a Menston school will be vaccinated against meningitis in the next few weeks after the tragic death of a dedicated deputy headmaster.

Students at St Mary's RC Comprehensive School will be made a priority in an intensive vaccination programme under way across the country.

Youngsters in years 11, 12 and 13 have already been immunised against the brain disease before Christmas as part of the rolling programme.

Head teacher Michael Pyle said he had been assured by Leeds Health Authority that the risk to pupils was slight.

He said: "The school is operating normally. There is no need to take urgent action but we will become a priority in the programme. The current advice I have from Leeds Public Health is that there is no need to keep pupils at home."

The 1,100 pupils were informed of the deputy head's death on Monday and a letter was sent home to every parent offering advice and reassurance about the risks of contracting the disease.

Kevin Leaver, who had been at the school for 28 years, thought he had flu after being taken ill last Thursday - the day after pupils returned to school from the Christmas break.

But the 50-year-old geography teacher was taken to Airedale Hospital, near Keighley, on Friday morning after his condition deteriorated overnight. He died in hospital.

Mr Leaver, who lived in Burley-in-Wharfedale, leaves a widow, Lesley, and two teenage daughters - Laura, 16, who is a pupil at the school and Claire, 18, who left St Mary's to study geography at Hull University.

Mrs Leaver spoke of her shock at the loss of her husband of 21 years: "It all happened so quickly - like a bolt out of the blue.

"Kevin came home feeling feverish, but there was no indication of how serious it was and he went to bed thinking it was flu.

She said the family were touched by all the messages of condolence: "I knew that Kevin was respected because he was always such a great professional but I was staggered to see how many people loved him and just how much he did for everybody.

" I am overwhelmed because I did not know the full extent of his kindness.

"Claire, Laura and I are also so grateful. We have never known support like it and it has kept us going. Kevin was

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