face masks | Schools Week

‘I’m trying to protect young people’: Heads ignore PM call to drop face masks from classroom

Many schools persisting with masks despite guidance change

How effective are face masks in the classroom?

Minsters have published the evidence behind their decision to bring back face coverings in the classroom

Long-read: The evidence behind the government’s Covid classroom ‘gamble’

A raft of Covid protective measures look set to be removed in schools on “freedom day” later this month. Schools Week takes a look at the evidence behind the government’s “gamble”. From July 19, when the country will likely move to Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown, keeping pupils in bubbles and rules […]

School Covid outbreaks near six-month high as Indian variant spreads

Covid outbreaks in schools have reached their highest level since December as the Indian variant continues to spread, official figures show. School leaders called new data on the spread of the Delta variant first discovered in India “concerning”, and said it raised “serious questions” over the decision to drop face covering requirements in schools last […]

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 […]