Do you think Senior School children will have to wear face masks?

My eldests secondary school have said pupils are welcome to wear masks in corridors and some classes. He was hoping to wear it anyway.

If he has to have some form of face covering could he wear a visor instead?

Such a shame that we can't have a giant sorting hat to match mask fanatic teachers to schools with ditto parents and vice versa. Would make an interesting longtitudinal study tho unethical to subject children to the mask category just because of parental hysteria

No recommendations for masks but I have purchased two washable ones from ‘Not on the High Street’. I selected the UK and ones with many good reviews (looked through reviews for ‘comfortable’, ‘light‘, ‘washed it several times’ and ‘have ordered some more’ etc). Looked for ones that looked like the fit was good on photos and opt for natural fabrics such as cotton, linen or silk (if you can afford it).

My daughter's university are considering making face masks compulsory in all communal spaces (lecture theatres, libraries, common rooms etc). If that's the approach universities adopt, I think a lot of schools may follow suit as they are relatively similar environments which pose similar challenges to infection-control, although of course you have the accomodation aspect of university life to contend with too.

Just get him used to it before September

DD is finding the lack of social cues with no face masks a real challenge. It is almost sometimes like she can’t ‘hear’ people even though they are talking normally. There is nothing wrong with her hearing. That we are encouraging children to think wearing face masks is normal I am also not comfortable with but see why it is being done. I am looking forward to being able to greet people with a smile and know that is normal again.

Does anyone have any recommendations for lightweight , comfortable, reusable masks? There's so many out there and I don't know where to start!

On top of the issue of them being hot and uncomfortable, we are struggling with bad acne in our family. It's genetic, dd had to endure the controversial roaccutane treatment two years ago and it's now starting to come back again. Ds' skin is also starting to get worse and he'll probably need medication too soon. I'm fairly sure wearing a mask all day will be very bad for their acne, especially for ds, who tends to get it round his nose and mouth.

I know there are far more important things at stake and this probably seems insignificant. It's had a major effect on dd's mental health though, so it does worry me.

Masks may become more widely used as we approach flu season or if we do get a resurgence of the virus. We are wearing and encouraging ds to wear now so if/when he needs to wear one he is already acclimatised/desensitised to them.

I cannot see how families are going to afford 15 masks a week per child

Buy/make reusable ones instead and wash each night. The disposable ones are much more uncomfortable, hot/sweaty than cloth ones.

Will be watching with interest but my heart does sink at the thought if it tbh. Masks are hot and uncomfortable to wear and I've struggled to find one that fits my small 13 year old . School uniform can be hot and restricting enough as it is.
The advice doesn't add up, you have to wear a mask in a shop where you will be 1-2 metres apart for a few seconds but you can spend a couple of hours sitting the same distance away from someone in a restaurant and not wear one??? Our DCs school has said it will do large group bubbles but there are no extra school buses so frankly that's pointless.
It sounds like populism to me, boris is trying to show he is doing something but its ill thought out.

Meredusoleil just google ‘face visor’- there’s lots about.
And yes, to me they also look more comfortable, less restrictive and easily wiped down?

I think Johnson is moving towards masks in schools.Daft to insist on them in shops but not schools which can be far more crowded and cramped.

I may be wrong, but I don't think visors on their own in the enclosed situation of this discussion are sufficient. As they do more research this may change of course.

It’s tricky OP. There will be other parents who have the complete opposite experience - perhaps they have a DC vulnerable to Covid and therefore want masks as a way to make school as low risk as it can be.

Visors are v light too. I forget I've got mine on.

On the note of visors, I’d much prefer to wear one of these rather than a ‘face covering’ at the supermarket.
I showed DD, soon to be L6th and having to travel on public transport for the first time .
At. first she said ‘no way’
However, if ‘face coverings’ are mandated at Secondary/6th form she’s thinking a visor would be preferable to a mask.

I'll be wearing both. I will be teaching 150 students each day in quite small, badly ventilated classrooms. So I'll be doing all I can to not only not get it but also not transmit it. It's going to be weird but I've blinged my visor and have a subject specific mask. I expect kids will get used to it v quickly. Hopefully this way we can keep schools open with no cases 🤞

How about a more positive approach(not trying to belittle any ones difficulties) A discussion with your children on the fact that if we want to get anything from the shops or travel on public transport we now need to wear facemasks for everybody's safety and you know it gets easier the more you do it. So you could all wear a mask indoors for short periods of time and build it up. practise talking and see if other members of the family can understand you etc. That way if it becomes compulsory in school it may not be such a problem or you will at least have tried and be able to have a discussion with the school. No one is forcing us to wear masks for fun. There seems to be some evidence that wearing them in enclosed spaces helps protect us all.

I would welcome this, I have 2 in secondary who would both would be fine wearing a mask and the more that do the more normal it seems.
Hopefully this will reduce some transmission & keep schools open longer.