Should pupils be required to wear masks to school ?

[worzelsnurzel123]

Iabu - yes children should be required to wear Masks -this should be compulsory.

Ianbu - no children should only wear if they wish to.

Obviously there are caveats here around children with asthma, anxiety etc but on the whole should it be the norm to wear a mask.

No, no, no.

We had some bringing them before closure. Sharing, swapping and using them as weapons, not wearing and leaving them lying around....

They’re not advised in schools for a reason. We’ve got enough to deal with with cleaning and keeping to bubbles.

They’re not advised in schools for a reason. We’ve got enough to deal with with cleaning and keeping to bubbles.

This is such a lame excuse. You could say the same thing about mouth guards - but our school still makes them compulsory for rugby. Don’t you understand that the masks are for your own protection? So children will not pass on the virus to staff?

Bubbles are about to get scrapped. Discipline your pupils who flout the rules, so everyone can be protected, including yourself.

Discipline 4 and 6 year olds. I feel perfectly safe without them thanks.

The purpose of masks is to prevent you spreading it to others. Given that children are much less likely to catch covid and if they do to suffer harm from it then it is unlikely mask wearing on school has much benefit. In fact it probably makes things worse as people are more likely to touch their face. Good hand hygiene remains far more important

also amazed at the casual attitude in the UK. not in uk but here kids are required from 3yo up to wear masks and everyone is managing just fine. Shields are also allowed.

@Yellownotblue but the argument (right or wrong) is that children are less likely to pass the virus onto adults?
It's not just about the cleaning and bubbles, it just wouldn't be practical, especially in primary schools. It'd be the whole little Jimmy has lost his PE kit situation all over again, but with masks. Children can't be trusted to wear them or look after them properly.
Visors for teachers wouldn't be a bad idea though. The children would be able to see what you are saying. They might even be better for the children too, but again I don't know if the children would look after them properly!
I've been in with a Year 1 bubble this week and to their credit, they have done a great job at social distancing and coughing/sneezing into a tissue/their elbow. Obviously with all students back that will be more difficult, but so far so good.

I feel perfectly safe without them thanks.

Given the infection rate and death rate in the UK, your sense of perfect safety is clearly misplaced.

Is it so hard to imagine that we might have something to learn from other countries, who have fared immensely better than us in this crisis?

What about special schools? Pupils not able to wear masks due to sensory issues, they can’t cope seeing with staff wearing them yet these are the children with the lowest understanding of hygiene and who often chew and mouth everything!

Nope been in throughout. Trust our cleaning measures, zero infection, the fact children are low risk and my own health.

No. You children wouldn’t be able to, older children may have disabilities. It would impact teaching and learning. Having worn mine on the bus this week, I was very, very, very glad to remove it when I got off. I don’t see it being doable for a whole school day. Hats off to HCP who have to.

It's not just about the cleaning and bubbles, it just wouldn't be practical, especially in primary schools. It'd be the whole little Jimmy has lost his PE kit situation all over again, but with masks. Children can't be trusted to wear them or look after them properly.

That hasn’t been our experience. The school sent a very detailed protocol which made clear that masks were required to get on school buses/ through the school gate. All children were given an induction when they returned, on how to look after their mask at school. The school also kept an emergency supply.

By the time schools reopened, most children had gotten used to wearing them, as there was no lockdown in Hong Kong so we kept being out and about, just with masks. So having them at school was no big deal. The children are required to have a clean container in which to store their mask at lunch time. They put it back on afterwards. No one is making a fuss.

We’re in the U.K. not Hong Kong. So sick and tired of country comparisons. The Denmark comparison fell very flat when the differences between countries became clear.

Absolutely no. They are uncomfortable and provide minimal benefit. They would severle interfere with childtens ability to concentrate and learn. There are other solutions. Such as shielding from those at risk.

What is wrong with British children? Three year olds in other countries manage but ours can't because /dirty/ might throw them/ inconvenient/ might loose them/ insert excuse of choice!

Just received a photo of dn’s last day of school in Italy. Every single child and all the teachers are wearing masks.

Why is the UK so against masks when they are mandatory in other countries and seem to have no issues?

My concern with masks is the communication issue. My class this year has a deaf pupil who, while she has cochlear implants, is still reliant on lip reading to communicate effectively. DD's class has a pupil who is profoundly deaf and is completely reliant on both his signer and lip reading. How do children with hearing impairments such as these get on in schools in countries that have mandatory mask wearing? Even if only these pupils and their teachers were permitted to not wear masks, it would still isolate them from their classmates through being unable to communicate with them.

I didn't realise they were so common in other countries. In that case I think they should be worn, absolutely. For a period of time anyway

do you not have to remove them for eating thus maybe contaminating everything you touch afterwards?

It is counter productive and will give a false ( I.e. dangerous) sense of security. My DD is going to school and I am shielding her from anyone at risk outside of school. If people think they are risk free because of masks, this is wrong. And potentially more damaging

Why would anyone think masks make you risk free? That would be pretty stupid wouldn't it?

They are a perfect catapult.

My dc will have to wear masks.
DS has ADHD and hates wearing them but it's not optional.
Sometimes in life stuff just isn't.

Would visors be better than masks?

I'm not sure that there are no issues in other places.
Shields in Singapore. Why mention shields if masks were simple great solution at all.

Other transparent options for deaf pupils.

and that article talks about fogging & comms problems with ordinary masks. Singaporans have had to work thru issues, too.