face coverings | Schools Week

Keep face masks in the classroom for another month, urge unions and scientists

Lifting the recommendation that face coverings be worn in secondary classrooms this month will have “consequences” for the health of children and parents, a group of unions and scientists has warned. Teaching unions the NEU and NASUWT and support staff unions Unite, Unison and the GMB have sent an open letter to education secretary Gavin […]

DfE continues to recommend face coverings in secondary classrooms after Easter

Face coverings will continue to be recommended in secondary school classrooms until May 17 at the earliest, the Department for Education has confirmed. The DfE had said it would review its current position during the Easter holidays, but has confirmed in updated guidance today that its recommendation will initially remain in place when pupils return. […]

School backs down on face masks refusal following DfE pressure

A school whose headteacher vowed to defy official advice on face masks in secondary classrooms has quietly reversed its stance following pressure from the government. David Perks of East London Science School (ELSS) made headlines at the end of February when he claimed he would not ask pupils to wear face coverings. In guidance published […]

DfE and PHE not on same page over school face masks evidence

A teaching union is demanding to see the “clear scientific evidence base” behind any government decision on face masks in schools. It comes as freedom of information requests show the Department for Education and Public Health England are using different evidence. The current guidance is that staff and pupils in communal areas in secondary schools […]

Government to U-turn on masks in schools

Staff and older pupils will be expected to wear face coverings in schools in England from September following a government U-turn, Schools Week understands. Ministers are expected to announce the change later today following growing pressure in the wake of a similar decision in Scotland and changes to World Health Organisation guidelines. It means staff […]

DfE confirms U-turn over masks in schools

Pupils and staff in secondary schools in high-transmission areas will be required to wear face coverings following a U-turn by the government. The Department for Education has tonight confirmed that it will revise its guidance on the use of face coverings in schools to state that in areas of national government intervention, face coverings “should be […]

Pressure mounts on government over face coverings in schools

The government is under growing pressure to review its guidance on the use of face coverings in schools, as one of England’s largest academy trusts announced it had ordered visors and masks for staff and some pupils. Oasis Community Learning, which runs 52 academies across England, will provide face coverings for all staff and visitors […]