masks | Schools Week

Williamson opposed masks in schools because he didn’t want to ‘surrender’ to unions

Evidence to the Covid-inquiry claims the former education secretary ‘didn’t want to give an inch’ to the education unions during the pandemic

Masks back in class at Oasis schools as other trusts weigh similar move

Oasis said other academy trusts were also considering going beyond DfE guidance to tackle Omicron

Zahawi on school nativities: the show must go on

The education secretary said ‘carry on’ with Christmas events after two years of disruption

Covid: Government ‘allowing mass infection of children’, scientists warn

Scientists have warned the government’s back to school plans are “reckless” and allow the “mass infection of children”. An open letter, published by the British Medical Journal today, accuses education secretary Gavin Williamson of endangering the health of hundreds of thousands of pupils and not following medical advice. The letter, signed by scientists, parents and […]

DfE U-turns on masks for pupils travelling to school

The DfE has made a rapid U-turn over plans to relax face covering guidance for pupils on public transport and school buses. Guidance for schools about step four of the relaxation of Covid restrictions was revised on Tuesday, just eight days after it was published and before the changes even take effect next week. The […]

Bubbles and masks go at step 4, but isolation rules in place to end of term

Schools will no longer be told to keep pupils in consistent “bubbles” from step four of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, but isolation rules for close contacts will remain in place until the end of term. Updated guidance issued by the Department for Education states that at step four, “we will no longer recommend […]

Covid: Masks still in place and onsite testing returns in ‘Delta’ hotspot schools

Headteachers in “Delta” Covid variant hotspots are “praying” the virus does not rip through their schools again in the coming weeks, with one having to send seven in ten pupils home last half term. Mask rules remain in place in many north-west schools, while some have resumed in-school testing and have hosted temporary vaccine centres. […]

Bring back face coverings in secondary schools and vaccinate pupils on site, say unions

Face coverings should be reintroduced in secondary school classrooms and for students in communal areas, unions representing teachers and support staff have said, amid growing fears about the impact of the Delta variant of Covid-19. The National Education Union, along with support staff unions Unison, the GMB and Unite, have also said pupils should be […]

Outbreak fears cause cautious schools to continue with mask rules

Mask rules for pupils will remain in place at some schools across England next week amid fears about localised outbreaks and a highly transmissible new variant of Covid. Several schools told Schools Week that they would continue to require masks in classrooms and communal areas even after the official government recommendation lifts on Monday. Prime […]