Masks ‘just wrong’ for deaf pupils

THE principal of a school for deaf children has spoken out about the potential impact mask-wearing may have upon teaching young people with hearing impairments.

Ahead of the reopening of schools on Monday, the Government has officially recommended the wearing of masks by pupils and staff at secondary schools and sixth forms.

Educators of deaf pupils have challenged the advice, warning that the imposition of masks will negatively impact their learning.

One of those expressing such concerns is Peter Gale, principal at Mary Hare School at

Snelsmore Common.

The school caters exclusively to deaf children and has sought an exemption from mask restrictions.

Mr Gale says he has found even alternative arrangements, such as see-through visors, to be inadequate, either because they do not limit exposure to viral transmission or because they pose distinct difficulties to pupils, such as visual glare.

He told the Newbury Weekly News: “I do feel for those who are in mainstream schools, where masks will be worn around them.

“You can’t expect a school of 1,500 to change something for five kids.

“We will not be wearing masks in the classroom, or in learning at all – we just can’t.

“As you will have found out on the till in Waitrose, they do reduce the transmission of speech.

“They make the use of hearing harder, they take the top frequencies off your speech.

“They completely prevent lipreading, and all of our pupils rely on a combination of their residual hearing – such as it is – and lip-reading.

“It’s just wrong, wrong and wrong again for deaf people.”