Full time mask wearing in schools

[JS87]

Would you be prepared for your child to wear a mask in lessons etc (even in primary school in say KS2 upwards) if it meant they caught less colds/coughs/temps and didn't have to keep isolating to get a cold? I would definitely be happy for DS 9 to wear one if it meant he got to spend more time in school

YES!!!!
Remember your child's first shoes? Every kid takes them off, throws them out of the pram. But they get used to it and learn to wear it by the time they actually use their feet as intended.
Easy as that.
And KS2,3,4 kids are big enough to understand not to fiddle. But as long as the msg from their parents is that it's bad/stupid/anxiety inducing/general slavery then they will not look at it as a normal way of infection control.
I think the problem is in the adult heads....

I'm genuinely flummoxed why UK kids can't wear masks when kids from many other countries do

It's not that DCs can't. It's that there's a very vocal parent anti-mask, anti-vac lobby group. They are tiny but all over social media.

I know DCS wearing masks all the time at school across primary and high school. They're fine. It's not complicated or difficult and they just treat it like part of their uniform.

MeridaTheBold I'm a pro vaccination, pro mask ex UK secondary teacher who believes there's a sound reason to wear masks and get vaccinated while the oft trotted out arguments in favour of school uniforms are deeply flawed .

My non uniform wearing children are wearing masks all day in school, as are their classmates.

Of course they could wear masks, my DC go to a British school overseas. It is filled with British students and teachers they all wear masks from 4 up. If it was a legal requirement then dc in the UK would too.

I’d say absolutely not but to be fair DD is happy to ! I’ve not even had a hair cut because I hate masks so much. Absolutely support their use but essentially it makes me stay in my house most of the time as I’d rather not do things that require wearing a mask, so I don’t think it should be essential for school because I wouldn’t have coped as a child with going to school wearing one. Some kids will be ok with it, some not . Not sure it’s the solution here.

No. As someone lucky(!) enough to be at home currently (lost my job due to Covid) I’d keep mine at home rather than send them in in masks. Not because they wouldn’t ‘cope’ (I’m sure they would, just like most people cope with shit things life throws at them), but because I think they’d be better off at home with me than at school in masks.
They’re young, still learning phonics. One is slightly hearing impaired. They need to see people’s mouths moving to learn.
If they were introduced, as a school governor I’d also like to see a full risk assessment regarding the wearing of masks in primary aged children.
And I know they wear them in other countries. There are plenty of things they do in other countries that I wouldn’t want me or my family to do, though.

Also there are other things that can be done first. My secondary still has a weekly whole year assembly for eg.

Absolute not. How awful for these poor kids if that was to happen.

WELCOME to GILEAD

Just to add, I follow all other rules and have from the start. I’m not a ‘Covid denier’ or even an ‘anti masker’ (I wear one when required). I would just rather my children learned at home with me without masks than at school with masks.

I think we need to acknowledge that a lot of children have mild sensory issues which are not diagnosed but that would be triggered by a whole day of mask wearing. Probably also quite a lot of adults who are having to wear them in their jobs and that must be awful.

I have to wear them at work and it is awful. Worked the entire height of the pandemic without a mask though 🤔

Singapore's schools have been open full time since the beginning of June so not struggling at all. Yes all the children have to wear masks.

We've been wearing them all shift (up to 14 hours, changing mask 4 hourly, taking breaks outdoors as much as possible) since March.

I work with people with disabilities in a residential setting and twelve out of fourteen residents are wearing masks - we worked with them to help them understand and to find the best mask for each individual.

A lot of people trying to claim masks are ableist are deliberately refusing to acknowledge how many people with disabilities have comorbidities which also make them high risk. I assume it's deliberate cognitive dissonance given most of my lovely clients with moderate learning/ cognitive disabilities understand about wearing masks to protect one another.

A lot of MN posters seem to object to masks without having made any effort to try different options and to get used to them at home.

Children seem mostly to like masks in fact (you can get all sorts of picture prints, children from 6 wear them in shops but from year 5 in school, though all children would wear them over a certain number of cases per 10000).

I have a child with sensory issues, and am baffled why parents who wouldn't let their child go out without socks in the snow think masks are different.

@DarkMutterings

Masks are not pixie dust - they don't stop all germs, virus, illnesses If worn by the vast vast majority of people they slow transmission.

Seriously the UK needs to stop thinking this is a sprint to 'virus free' and more of a marathon to getting this under control like other diseases.

Amen!

I’d support it.

DD is 7 and sensible and I imagine she’d be ok with it, but I can imagine many children really would be 😢

Interesting and useful info untilYourNext. My older child has significant SEN yet has coped pretty well with masks at his new school. It’s not ideal, for sure, but can be done.

Yes

It would help my DD overcome her anxiety about being in the exact environment that covid is said to spread and bringing it home to us.

She'd be thrilled. But she won't do it unless everyone who can is.

Yes, perhaps with good handling it can work for majority. My DD is fine with it. I just wonder how I would have been. But then home learning would have been fantastic for me and it was awful for DD. We will do what ever is asked.

It's a no from me.

My children both wear a mask full time in school all day already! 😊

A lot of MN posters seem to object to masks without having made any effort to try different options and to get used to them at home

We’ve tried all sorts, but as DD often relies on lip reading it’s a struggle. We’ve tried wearing the clear ones but they don’t help all that much (muffled sound plus less than optimal viewing means it’s still difficult, plus of course she’d need everyone in her class to wear a clear one even if it did help).
It doesn’t matter too much though as like I said, I’d be happy to deregister and homeschool if they were mandated.

No way! Would not be happy if children were made to wear masks all day for school. Would seriously consider pulling my child out of school if that was brought in.

I think as some kids hearing issues are glue ear they might find an improvement for some with fewer colds going around
Also suggests if we reduced class size we may see improvement in behaviour due to less illness.

I think allowing them at least needs to be an option. As otherwise it's discriminatory against those who ha be asthma/temps general illness. The family will never be at school. And you can literally not be nose swabbing kids every week even if there were enough.

@Keepdistance

I think as some kids hearing issues are glue ear they might find an improvement for some with fewer colds going around Also suggests if we reduced class size we may see improvement in behaviour due to less illness.

I think allowing them at least needs to be an option. As otherwise it's discriminatory against those who ha be asthma/temps general illness. The family will never be at school. And you can literally not be nose swabbing kids every week even if there were enough.

Maybe. That’s not her hearing issue though.