‘All pupils should wear face masks’
A SCHOOL leaders’ union has recommended all secondary schools ask pupils and staff to wear face coverings in communal spaces, despite the Government advising it is only required for those in local lockdown areas of England.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said ministers were following the “best scientific and medical advice”, adding it was not necessary for face coverings to be mandatory in all schools across the country.
But in a message to members of school leaders’ union NAHT, general secretary Paul Whiteman said it would be “prudent” for masks to be used more widely.
He criticised the Government for “pass(ing) the buck” to secondary schools and colleges, who have been given the discretion to require masks if social distancing cannot be safely managed.
“Once again, many school leaders will feel as though the Government has passed the buck and handed the difficult decision over to them,” he said. “We will continue to lobby the Government to take a clear and unambiguous line on this.
“In the meantime, NAHT’S advice is that it would be prudent for secondary schools
to ask pupils and staff to wear face coverings in corridor and communal spaces unless there is a compelling reason not to.
“Erring on the side of caution would seem a sensible approach to take given the information coming out of the World Health Organisation.”
In the latest U-turn by the Government, updated guidance issued on Tuesday night said face coverings should be worn in communal areas of schools with students in Year 7 and above which are in areas with coronavirus restrictions.
It followed pressure from teaching unions, which urged clarity before pupils return to school next week.
And the union’s comments came as Boris Johnson was accused of ducking personal responsibility for the exams fiasco after sacking the senior official at the Department for Education and blaming the debacle on a “mutant algorithm”.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the stress caused by the situation, which eventually resulted in a U-turn with A-level and GCSE grades awarded based on teachers’ assessments rather than the algorithm.
The Department for Education announced permanent secretary Jonathan Slater will stand down on September 1 because “the Prime Minister has concluded there is a need for fresh official leadership”.
The announcement came a day after Sally Collier resigned from her role as head of exams regulator Ofqual.
Dave Penman, leader of the FDA union which represents senior public servants, said: “If it wasn’t clear before, then it certainly is now – this administration will throw civil service leaders under a bus without a moment’s hesitation to shield ministers from any kind of accountability.”