Gavin Williamson insists 'best' scientific advice makes clear that face coverings in all schools is not necessary amid U-turn

Imogen Braddick26 August 2020

Gavin Williamson has said the "best" scientific and medical advice indicates that the wearing of face masks in all schools is not necessary.

The Education Secretary's comments come after Boris Johnson abandoned advice that pupils in England should not wear face masks in secondary schools.

Face coverings will now be mandatory for pupils in corridors and communal areas at secondary schools in local lockdown areas.

But Mr Williamson said the Government is not recommending that face coverings should be made compulsory across the country in all schools.

"The best scientific and medical advice says that that isn’t necessary," he told Sky News.

UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease

1/21

Mr Williamson added: “We are recognising the fact that there are certain areas of the country where there’s a high instance, or a higher instance, of coronavirus that we’re taking an extra precautionary measure.

“When we do look at school return, the key thing, the thing that has informed us most of all, yes, it is for scientific and medical advice and it’s been on the basis of how we ensure that all schools are as safe as possible.”

The Education Secretary insisted that the Government had followed guidance from the World Health Organisation, which states that children aged over 12 should wear masks.

"We said this is something we would keep under constant review," he said.

"The World Health Organisation put out the details of their thoughts on this.

"One of the key areas that they recommended is, in areas of high transmission, that there is maybe some worth for wearing face masks in those areas of high transmission in education settings."

Mr Williamson added: "What we’re recommending in terms of mandating the wearing of face coverings in communal areas for secondary schools is only in a very, very small number of areas in the country which are in local lockdown.

"What we’re doing is we recognise that there are added concerns in those communities about transmission.

"But we also recognise how important it is for every child to get back."

The Education Secretary said the levels of Covid-19 transmission had been "falling dramatically" across the country, but an "extra level of protection and reassurance" will be provided for students and staff in local lockdown areas.

"There's no intention of extending beyond that," Mr Williamson told BBC Breakfast.

"We have listened at every stage to the best scientific and medical advice.

"The easiest thing would be to make it mandatory in every school across the country, but the best scientific and medical advice is saying that is not the right decision to make...we are taking a sensible, pragmatic approach."

Earlier this week Mr Williamson insisted measures being adopted by schools to limit the spread of coronavirus meant masks were not required.

But announcing the change in advice on Tuesday, he said: "Our priority is to get children back to school safely. At each stage we have listened to the latest medical and scientific advice.

"We have therefore decided to follow the World Health Organisation's new advice. In local lockdown areas children in year 7 and above should wear face coverings in communal spaces.

UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures

1/29

"Outside of local lockdown areas face coverings won't be required in schools, though schools will have the flexibility to introduce measures if they believe it is right in their specific circumstances.

"I hope these steps will provide parents, pupils and teachers with further reassurance."

Further guidance on the new rules was published by the Government on Wednesday, which sets out when they are required and pupils that are exempt.

In local lockdown areas, face coverings should be worn by staff and students moving around schools in communal areas and corridors from September 1, the guidance says.

Should new local restrictions be imposed, schools will need to communicate "quickly and clearly" the new arrangements to staff, parents and pupils.

It says that all schools and colleges will have the discretion to require face coverings in communal areas where social distancing cannot be safely managed – such as when the layout of a school makes it difficult to do so.

Where a student or staff member is struggling to access a mask, or if it soiled or unsafe, the guidance says that schools should take steps to have a “small contingency supply” available, adding no-one should excluded on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering.

Exemptions to the new measures include those who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if a person is speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expression to communicate

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in