I hope they announce that senior school age children have to wear masks in lessons.

[shesellsseashells99]

Just that really and teachers of course!

Surely they should be wearing them in the class now?

This is a really informative article about how wearing masks could reduce potential transmission in classrooms by around half, and with ventilation almost completely. It's not ideal but I think at least with senior pupils it's necessary.

english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html

@AlexaShutUp
Classrooms do not have windows? What about fire safety? And actual daylight?

Schools have been equipped with CO2 detectors (word?) to train pupils and teachers in proper airing - in my youth teachers constantly opened windows because fresh air was suposed to keep us awake and attentive.

Masks are banned at the school that one of my son’s friends goes to.

Personally as a glasses wearer I’d find it next to impossible to do school type work in a mask.

But at dd’s college she feels very unsafe. The corridors are crammed at changeover times. There is no social distancing. Classes are being held in unventilated rooms.

Why can’t secondary aged children be in school/college on a rota and do blended learning?

Classrooms do not have windows? What about fire safety? And actual daylight?

I know, it's grim. Due to year group zoning, she currently has up to four periods on the trot in these unventilated spaces. What can the school do, though? They're doing the best they can with the resources that they've got.

I hope not. I may look at getting my children exempt if this happens. They do have diagnoses so could get away with it. Terrible for people to have to cover their faces, how can people just accept this? Surely it is a basic human right to be able to have your face uncovered.

@dingledongle

My two secondary aged children have been wearing a mask during lessons since they went back in September

That's interesting. Nobody in my sons school have.

My daughter has been wearing one) she’s in college studying dance) even though she got laughed at.

All secondary school children in France wear masks. Because it's universal no one seems to mind.

@ihearttc

DS1’s school have been wearing them since September, they have had no cases of Covid. They must wear them 100% of the time, in lessons, corridors and outside.

Outside?? Insane.

Masks and coats on, all windows and doors open. These give us the best chance of keeping schools open.

I agree.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus I also teach in a classroom that doesn’t have a window. It used to be an office but we expanded our sixth form so need to use any extra space we can. It is grim. I hate it.

@motherunner
I see - so I assume your workplace regulations are simply different.
Here some schools had to improvise with container classrooms when they had more pupils than classrooms - but you would need space to put them in.
A difficult problem.

shesellsseashells99 the Head required all children to wear masks in their year group bubbles.

They wear them in lessons and anywhere inside and then outside they are in their bubbles.

They even provided colour coded ones

Dds school has already been doing this since they went back in September (Norfolk).

I'm a middle schools teacher in France. It's just become compulsory for all kids aged 6 and up to wear masks in schools.

Teaching with a mask on is a pain (school have just bought us all microphones as it is quite a strain on your voice), it took a good month to get used to it. The kids eventually seem to get used to them as well, they have to wear them all the time (even in the playground) except for PE and eating in the canteen (where they're all crammed together in no kind of bubble ).

As of tomorrow the canteen situation is supposed to change, not sure how they're going to sort it out though.

Since the beginning of this school year we've only had one covid confirmed positive case.

Oh, and there are no exemptions.

In French secondary schools and universities masks have been required at all times since September. There probably isn't much virus transmission in the classroom at all.

Unfortunately they can't wear masks to eat in packed school restaurants at lunchtime ... my DS probably got covid sitting next to an infected student at lunchtime.

I can’t believe what I’m reading. why on earth would kids need to wear masks in lessons? What a horrendous idea. Please think about it rationally .

DS has been wearing a mask all the time since the start of term in his London school- year 7. Totally used to it now. Very very low number of cases despite 1000plus children coming in mainly by tube and bus every day.

I can’t believe what I’m reading. why on earth would kids need to wear masks in lessons? What a horrendous idea. Please think about it rationally .

If you think about it rationally, it makes a lot of sense. As to why kids might need to wear masks...I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it? To protect school staff and to reduce transmission of the virus in society as a whole.

Don’t masks become ineffective after a certain length of time, when they get damp?

Sewsisew
The N95 have to be cleaned after 40h, but I do it dayly.
DS just got a pack of 5 resuables to take to school and change as needed.
What suprised me was the amount of simple street dirt I wash out of them before submerging them in water (90°C).

DS has been wearing masks to school and about since schools restarted in August - so far no cases at his school (ca 750 pupils y5 to y12).

*I think you should spend an entire week as a secondary school pupil - which is hard enough - and do it in a mask before you say that.

Yet they seem to manage in a shopping centre without any problems ?*

when you're walking around the shopping centre, you are not needing to think and concentrate. Unlike surgeons who wear them for long periods of time over many years, we are not used to it enough to make it easy to wear one and perform to the best of our ability.

Corridors and communal areas-yes but not classrooms-it is just TOO hard.

Everyone over 6 years old wears a mask at all times in Spanish schools. Inside and outside. Windows are open all the time too.