Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Head recommending wearing masks in school

359 replies

rainyinscotland · 21/08/2020 18:05

So DC has been back at school full time for a bit (Scotland). Secondary school. All pupils in and no masks. The Headteacher has now written to parents that it's not possible to socially distance, so he/she is recommending that pupils and teachers wear masks. Recommending, not requiring.

YABU - the Head was wrong to do that.
YANBU - the Head was right to do that.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
ilovesooty · 22/08/2020 21:30

My hairdresser told me her 15 year old daughter is very worried about not being allowed to wear a mask at school when she returns.

StaffAssociationRepresentative · 22/08/2020 21:39

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53877292?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus&link_location=live-reporting-story" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53877292?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus&link_location=live-reporting-story

WHO says children over 12 should wear masks

itsgettingweird · 22/08/2020 21:45

@StaffAssociationRepresentative

www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus&link_location=live-reporting-story" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53877292?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus&link_location=live-reporting-story

WHO says children over 12 should wear masks

What? Inline with the same science they apply to over 11's in shops, museums etc already in England WinkHmm
Lidlfix · 22/08/2020 21:49

In Scotland the Scottish Government guidelines (para 81) upholds the right of all pupils, teachers and members of staff to wear face coverings if they want to.

I hope you and your children's rights are respected in the same way .Thanks

MrsHerculePoirot · 22/08/2020 21:53

@Lidlfix

In Scotland the Scottish Government guidelines (para 81) upholds the right of all pupils, teachers and members of staff to wear face coverings if they want to.

I hope you and your children's rights are respected in the same way .Thanks

I don’t think I’d realised that. That does give me hope for England...
monkeytennis97 · 22/08/2020 21:57

YADNBU

LouiseTrees · 22/08/2020 22:41

@Awrite

Are they providing masks?

Nicola Sturgeon said masks for pupils in schools were a possibility. Big meeting today to discuss.

However, they will have to provide disposable ones every day for every child. Expensive.

Otherwise, pupils will forget or not be able to afford them.

Or two washable ones each?
Bocadilla · 22/08/2020 22:54

Nope. Masks not happening at our School.

rainyinscotland · 22/08/2020 22:56

I'll report back on how many children and teachers are wearing masks on Monday. Courtesy of DC.

OP posts:
BigChocFrenzy · 22/08/2020 23:02

YANBU

I'm in Germany
Currently masks are compulsory in most secondary schools for corridors & stairs and recommended in class
Parents provide them, not the school

Masks are compulsory in one German state and may become compulsory in others, as many schools have had cases already
e.g. > 40 schools out of Berlin's 825 schools have had cases after just 2 weeks
That's both primary schools and secondary

BigChocFrenzy · 22/08/2020 23:04

If we want schools to stay open ft, we actually have to accept measures that would help achieve this

Kayakinggirl · 22/08/2020 23:32

Not in the UK. Schools where I live have required all children from walking age up to wear masks. I work in a 4-18 school the pupils since school went back in May have worn them without an issue. Yes they need to be reminded to pull them over there nose but most have no issue wearing masks. If other countries can do it why is it an issue for the UK.

sleepwouldbenice · 22/08/2020 23:33

I don't want my secondary children to wear a mask. But fully expect that they will need to do so as part of the compromises to get through this 🙄

Nyclair · 23/08/2020 00:26

I live in a country where masks are mandatory, including schools. It's fine.

Nat6999 · 23/08/2020 01:05

Ineedaholidaynow No there isn't a PTA or anything like that, when the last Ofsted inspection was done it was found that the school hadn't been spending any of the Pupil Premium to benefit the pupils who qualified, it had all been spent on the highest achieving pupils instead, one of the reasons they had been marked down as needing improvement, frankly the school is all fur coat & no knickers. Thankfully ds is starting sixth form in September & that is the only part of the school that is any good.

ineedaholidaynow · 23/08/2020 01:23

@Nat6999 that is not good.

Hopefully though if masks do become mandatory in schools there will be numerous sewing groups across the country who can make masks for those who can’t afford them. Let’s face it I am sure MN could get an army of mask makers together, with others donating fabric etc.

HoldMyLobster · 23/08/2020 01:37

Hopefully though if masks do become mandatory in schools there will be numerous sewing groups across the country who can make masks for those who can’t afford them.

That's how it works where I live in the US. There's a group of people making hundreds of masks for the local schools.

RaspberryRuff · 23/08/2020 01:44

I’d chip in a few quid to a mask fund for school kids, to cover those who can’t afford it.

TheFormerPorpentinaScamander · 23/08/2020 01:50

I'd happily make masks for schools! Although as a pupil premium parent myself I might eventually need fabric! I've got loads at the moment but it wouldn't last long.

Goosefoot · 23/08/2020 02:53

@BigChocFrenzy

If we want schools to stay open ft, we actually have to accept measures that would help achieve this
This is more difficult than it seems. The question is, how safe is safe enough to have them open?

There isn't really an answer to that question. Some people like the "do as much as you can whatever the consequences" an "one death is too many"idea, but it doesn't acknowledge that there are always trade offs, and there is always a calculation. Pretending their isn't just mean you don't acknowledge what that is.

Having kids back ft is an acknowledgement that we've, on purpose, set up a society where that's necessary. Parents need to work, and they need a place for their kids to be. Even forgetting education, people need the childcare. We could choose to return to a society where a lot more families have a parent at home, and actually I suspect a lot of adults might like that, but I don't see the political class going for that.

There is also, always, the question of what can we do, and what will work. Places asking 5 year olds to mask all day, I suspect won't be able to keep it up. Even with many older kids, it's unclear if masking will work they way people assume to prevent spread in a school environment. It's one thing to say that in a grocery store or even an adult office, masks will prevent spread. In a school, or certain other work environments, it may not help much at all.

CarrieBlue · 23/08/2020 07:46

@TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

I'd happily make masks for schools! Although as a pupil premium parent myself I might eventually need fabric! I've got loads at the moment but it wouldn't last long.
My DM was making scrubs earlier in lockdown and she had fabric delivered to her that had been donated - same could happen for mask making by volunteers.
mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 23/08/2020 07:52

There is no way I could teach with masks. I can't hear what people are saying when they are wearing them, and I feel panicky with one on. I would much prefer not to have them in my classroom.

MrsHerculePoirot · 23/08/2020 09:27

@mynameisnotmichaelcaine

There is no way I could teach with masks. I can't hear what people are saying when they are wearing them, and I feel panicky with one on. I would much prefer not to have them in my classroom.
I’d much rather my students and I were all wearing masks. I would be happy if it was an option at least. I would be happier to do my teaching but without one if they were all wearing one.

Like most people of course I’d prefer if we didn’t need to, however I much rather prefer that as a school we don’t put each other or each other’s families at risk. I teach in a school where lots of the students live in fairly small, multi-generational households.

Personally I’d actually prefer a blended model at secondary with social distancing being possible in classrooms where we might not then need masks. I’m not convinced we can have it both ways - overcrowded, poorly ventilated rooms with 5 different groups of 32 each day across different ‘bubbles’ AND no masks. I think something will need to change to minimise the Covid hokey-cokey in secondary schools.

Aragog · 23/08/2020 09:31

I'd rather masks in school than school closures.

Very few people in reality can't wear a mask. Some may find them uncomfortable initially - we aren't used to them, they feel strange. But worn for a while that passes for most people. I felt like that initially, but because we went abroad this summer we had to wear them way more. We quickly got used to them and I can say now that they really don't bother us. I wore one for about 5 hours in a and e and don't really notice I had one on, except for when I needed a drink.

It's also made us listen better I think. Dh has partial hearing loss issues and spends half his time normally asking for us to repeat stuff. He's actually got better since we've all had masks in as he seems to pay more attention and actually listen. We got used to doing this when we visited Japan last summer as many people wore masks there. The only place we really find it trickier is in echoey type buildings - restaurants with big high ceilings and wide rooms, etc.