Face masks will no longer be required in secondary school classrooms in England after 17 May, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed.
Face coverings have been recommended since the return to school in March – but that will end as part of the phasing out of lockdown measures.
There have been concerns masks get in the way of communicating and learning.
But head teachers warned the decision to remove masks was “hard to reconcile” with the evidence on safety.
The prime minister’s briefing also confirmed the return of students to university campuses from 17 May – although surveys suggest that in practice most students have already returned to their term-time addresses.
About half of students have been studying online since January – and they will be able to return to face-to-face teaching, although some courses might already have effectively stopped teaching by this stage of the university year.
Leaving lockdown
The next stage of relaxing lockdown measures, to be implemented from 17 May, will mean that pupils will no longer be expected to wear face coverings in classrooms and in communal areas of schools.
Mr Johnson suggested the improving picture on the pandemic meant that the roadmap for unlocking could go ahead as planned.
Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers’ union, said: “It is obviously better for communication and learning if we don’t need to have children wearing face masks in classrooms.
“But any decision to this effect must follow the scientific advice, and it is very worrying that the government’s decision appears to contradict the published evidence.”
“We don’t understand why the government is in such a rush over this issue,” said Mr Barton.
“Parents, pupils and staff will want to understand why removing the requirement for face coverings in classrooms is considered appropriate when it is not for other enclosed spaces,” said Paul Whiteman, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers.
A group of scientists and unions, including the National Education Union, last week wrote to the Department for Education to say they were “extremely concerned” at the prospect of face coverings no longer being required in secondary schools.
They argued that masks were still a required safety measure in shops and public transport and there was a lack of evidence that it was time to withdraw their use in schools.
The letter, signed by more than 20 scientists and health experts, suggested that a change in wearing masks in schools should not be considered until the next stage of ending the lockdown, due on 21 June.
Kevin Courtney of the National Education Union said schools “should be permitted to retain mask wearing in the classroom if they think it necessary”.
Source: bbc.com
