Anyone think masks will need to be worn in school?

[Deardonkey]

As we are going to need to wear masks in more places from 8th August I was thinking about schools.
Does anyone else think they will be compulsory at secondary schools if they go back in September ?
I worry for my DS as he has ASD and other special needs, mask will make it difficult for him to both understand and be understood.

Another one here who has a friend who works in a primary school where they've been supplied with reuseable masks (school colours). She works with reception.

Have faith in the teachers they will still making it as exciting and fun as they can.

I am the teacher.

@FlamingoAndJohn

Primary schools and secondary schools are different environments and need to be looked at separately.

I completely agree. The sad thing is that year 1 children (5/6 years old) are expected to follow the exact same rules as a 14 year old. That means desks in rows all facing forwards.

I completely agree. Publishing one set of guidance for 4-16 year olds was completely bonkers.

However, the one saving grace is that the guidance does repeatedly use the phrase 'where possible' and it states that it is now always possible for the youngest children. When the guidance is for 4-16 year olds (18 year olds?) schools should be reading 'youngest pupils' as at least including KS1.

No one thinks that forward facing desks and sitting down all day is educationally good for 5 year olds. It completely goes against all child develop research. Some children may have enjoyed or coped well with it for 7 weeks. However they were in a much smaller group and the curriculum pressure was off teachers. This is absolutely guaranteed to lead to a number of young children, probably boys, being labelled as badly behaved, disruptive and unable to learn. It's so sad for them.

I'm a year 2 teacher, KS1 lead and mum of a child going into year 1.

Sorry Flamingo I didn't mean my post to sound like I was contradicting you with that however! I agree with what you were saying!

I really don't think mask wearing (unless they're see through) is a good idea in the early years. Teaching speech sounds is going to be tricky.
I of course am biased by my own 4yo who struggles to hear and use speech accurately anyway but I'd hate for him to get further behind because of it.

@Fantasisa

The unions have been calling for it but WITHOUT consulting their members. Heads have been told they will face legal action if they try and implement mask wearing.

Children and young people are not at risk and there has not been a single case globally where a schoolchild has passed it to an adult.

We need to get this in perspective and stop inflicting unnecessary measures on children to appease adults who don't understand basic risk.

Not at risk? Rubbish. Also why would you think that children can't transmit the virus to others and to adults when there is so much evidence to state they can?! Agree with former poster who said your post contains lies.

I dont think seeing someone's mouth makes much difference
Dc1 knew phonics by 3yo and was reading cvc by 3.5yo. Mainky fron watching alphablocks and the cbeebies app (which has since changed grr).
Dc2 didnt like alphablocks as much and doesnt know all phonics but jolly phonics uses actions anyway so that would be really good for people who cant distinguish especially maybe d and b etc.
Reading eggs is also pretty good.
Videos of people saying the sounds can be shown anyway

Re facing the front and say apart that might benefit the sen kids asd/adhd to help concentration.

What about kids with Sen, I am thinking sensory issues where mask wearing would be very difficult.

Are they going to be open for long enough, anyway?
or will they be kept open irrespective of how many cases and deaths there are?
If they are closed for every case, or a few cases, they will be closed more times than open, surely?

@vickibee yes of course in special schools different rules may need to apply. That said, my 16 year old DS who has severe autism and SLD wears a mask brilliantly

My son is asd and attends mainstream but would struggle with wearing a mask for extended periods. He could manage short bursts only. He has sensory issues.

@Keepdistance it really does when children already are struggling with speech.
I'm an early years teacher and parent of a 4yo. The main strategy that works with teaching him how to use the proper sound rather than the one he's replaced it with is showing him my mouth and then both of our mouths in a mirror for him to copy.
A technique I learnt on a s+l course while teaching nursery.

My ds also knows all his sounds BTW. But he can't work out putting them in the start of words for certain sounds.

@MerryMarigold

Absolutely agree. The prices on Amazon and boots are a joke. We've got less money and they are charging £30 on boots for boxes of them. .

Also half the reviews on Amazon don't fill me with much confidence! Half sound poorly made

"What about kids with Sen, I am thinking sensory issues where mask wearing would be very difficult."

There would have to be exemptions.

"I dont think seeing someone's mouth makes much difference"

It will for some children. In my son's school it wouldn't work because all the child have difficulties in understanding and rely on facial expression. I don't think masks would be considered reasonable in special schools but there will also be some in mainstream who will struggle with everyone in masks.

I think it's unlikely to happen in primary schools as the rule is exemption for under 11s in public.
I think that in secondary there will need to be some exemptions like asthmatic, autistic etc and teachers might have to be putting them on and off during the lesson so that people in the back can hear the explanation part of a lesson but they can put them in while the kids work.

Children and young people are not at risk

Children and young people have struggled with breathing problems for months after contracting COVID so stop spreading bullshit or add "dying" or "hospitalization" to your sentence ffs

I have reported @Fantasisa's post, as it cites dangerous misinformation.

I think so yes. ,

I think secondary schools will have to wear them.

Masks seems quite unnecessary when the bubbles are in place.

What data are you basing that on, a funny feeling in your elbow?

Videos of people saying phonics sounds can easily be shown for teaching reading. A little clunky but in some ways it would be an advantage to have some standardised pronunciation and quality control in our phonics teaching.

Given the direction of travel of the Government over the past fortnight, i think it’ll happen... but only for secondary schools.

I really hope not. I’m secondary.

Videos aren't the same thing. It's not as easy to directly correct or model by using a video.