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

If it protects the kids and minimises the chances of them bringing it home, spreading it within the community and stops my teen year 10 daughter doing her school work, living, sleeping, relaxing and virtual socialising in her bedroom her feeling overwhelmed and the affect of her moods and the affect this is having on our family life sorry OP but please then bring on the mask wearing.

OP I also have itchy skin, asthma, menopausal so always hot and am a glasses wearer so I sympathise. You can get lighter masks and I would be telling the school he wouldn’t be wearing the tank top.

As it stands at my school masks are expected to be worn on school transport. Bins will be available at the entrances for disposable ones to be disposed of and reusable ones must be stored in a plastic bag inside their bags.
Year groups line up separately and will have staggered lunch and breaks.
Lower school will remain in one area the entire day and have one specific space for Lunch, groups will be mixed ability.
Upper school will remain in one space for the majority of their classes unless a specialised classroom is required, groups will be settled by their options as much as possible.
Teachers will move to the students, are allowed to wear face masks in the corridor and will be provided with materials to clean workstations between teachers.
There are various other things in place too but generally the students will remain in their form group bubbles so face masks, theoretically won't be required.

You can get washable masks though, take them home in a resealable sandwich bag.

But at the same time if a student or teacher gets covid, we'll be looking at shut downs constantly.

Thanks for the flowers @BrandNewShinyThings.

Yes piling up used masks is not good.

There is often in our government and institutions a prevalence of ‘we’ve got to be seen to be doing something’ but that something isn’t always the right solution. Sometimes it is the best out of a bad bunch of solutions and debate, facts and research can inform us.

I don’t think there is a right answer any more. You do one thing to prevent something and it causes something else.

I am concerned that my DD’s immune system will not develop as it should. Of course this goes to the bottom of the pile of allowable concerns at the moment, as has my concern over DH’s lack of cancer treatment meaning it is now far more severe and very worrying.

The majority of the population should be exposed to bugs and germs to some degree. Not being exposed risks otherwise healthy children having a weaker immune system or even worse (see research on lack of illness as a child contributing to childhood leukaemia). DD would have been on her third cold of the year by now but only had a mild one at the start of the year. The proposal to wear masks in schools isn’t as simple as keeping the Coronavirus away, it is far more complex than that.

Wearing the same mask all day also negates the benefits as touching the outside and then putting back on can help the spread of the virus, so do we send our children in with a pile of masks and plastic bags to put them in? It simply isn’t practical.

Sounds good. It’s bugging me that the DfE guidance has meant visors have been disallowed by heads in some schools.

@MarshaBradyo I don’t know. We had an online parents evening where they outlined the plan.
I assume the school would pay, although I’ve only ever worked private sector and I’ve never been expected to buy my own equipment. I realise that’s not the case for schools.

Visors not visits. Spellcheck not used to the word yet - it will be v soon

We have been provided with masks and visits by school - I'm a teacher. Students wearing one is optional at the moment. I think it will become mandatory very quickly as schools are germ breeding grounds at the best of times. Love the 'well ventilated room' joke - windows open an inch and no outside doors to list rooms. Usually by now they are mini saunas.

I know masks can be uncomfortable at first, but you do get used to them I promise (sensory differences obviously excepted).

I did a decade in industry were they were required and wore one all day every day - the first couple of weeks were horrible, but after that is was fine. Well, until we switched to the rubber half masks, they were rank, and then positive pressure respirators which dry your eyes out, again not too bad once you'd adjusted.

Does the school pay for the visors?

I think it’s a good solution, wish other schools would do the same.

Yep, England state school.

Redcrayons are you England state school or other?

My DCs school have said they are optional for kids, though strongly encouraged.

Teachers will all be wearing visors.

I suppose the school would have to provide them if they are mandatory.

As a teacher in a primary school and parent of a soon to be Year 7 child, I sincerely hope they won't be compulsory! I'm already struggling with the idea I've got to start wearing one in shops starting from my birthday of all days 🙄

I wouldn't mind wearing a visor. But no idea how to get one of them? Dd1 will hopefully not be needing to wear one at all as won't be on public transport. That's the only time 11+ year olds need to wear them as far as I know.

How on earth will they hear the teacher if s/he is wearing a mask and vice versa. Totally unworkable in classroom. Loads of kids will claim exemption. They won't be able to afford disposable and other face coverings will get increasingly exotic -another distraction. If the Gvt mandates it will be the final conversation they have lost the plot.

Full uniform and no masks in my DD's school - if your child wants to wear a mask there is a possibility, but they will be asked to remove it if it becomes a distraction in lessons.

Well that's the guidance this week anyway, who knows by September I can't keep up with it at the moment. I am getting the general impression that DD's school want to keep things as close to their usual style as possible, which I agree with.

Having just work a mask to the supermarket (we are in wales so not mandatory here) I can’t imagine having to wear one constantly for 6-7 hours!! It was horrible and made me feel like I couldn’t breathe properly and was all hot and sweaty. Was a relief to take it off when we got to the car.
So I can’t imagine teenagers wearing them constantly throughout a whole school day!
Paper ones might be cooler but will cost a bomb to buy enough disposable ones for everyone (I have 3 kids) and are awful for the environment.