Are masks here to stay in secondary schools?

[Tonylepony]

My dc hate them but wear them without question. DS wears glasses which can be annoying as he does get issues with them steaming up but he rarely complains. I’m a little concerned about the summer when it gets hot as DD is prone to fainting. I remember Boris saying dc would be required to wear masks until Easter and it would then be reviewed, but I’ve not heard anything since. Anyone had an update?

Local schools here are continuing with them. I’m thankful they are as it’s only fair on the staff and students who may be vulnerable or their families as most parents and no children aren’t vaccinated yet.

No update as yet but as a teacher I feel safer at work with everyone in masks.

I'm hoping they will, at least until they are all vaccinated. Nothing has changed in school children. Don't want the disruption of in and out of school.

It’s good teachers are feeling safer.

@roguetomato
Don't want the disruption of in and out of school I don’t think wearing a mask has made any difference to close contacts having to self isolate.

God I hope not. I’m a teacher and hate it with a passion. I can’t hear the kids at all. Discussion is so tricky. I hate teaching from the front. I feel like we are all miserable. I can’t see them smiling they can’t see me smiling (those plastic square ones are next to useless just fog up instantly). It doesn’t make me feel safer in the slightest. The kids have been so good on the whole wearing them and just cracking on but honestly I can’t wait to get rid. They are pointless.

Also it’s doesn’t reduce disruption. Kids still sent home to isolate with positive case abs all close contacts. We stream all our lessons

Posted too soon

All lessons are live streamed or home learning set if live streaming not possible.

5 positive cases before Easter knocking out 60 kids. Medium comprehensive for context.

I assume Government guidance will come out the night before pupils are due back in school

I hope we stop wearing them soon. I'm fine in communal corridors but in a secondary special needs school I find it so hard to hear what the chikdreb are saying and also for them to understand me. It's such hard work.

Pre Xmas, my son had to isolate twice. This time around, he did not have to isolate at all. I think masks make a difference, as do the tests twice a week.

Yes I remember them saying they were going to review it at Easter too. I really don't like it. It makes everything so much more difficult.

God I hope not. I’m a teacher and hate it with a passion. I can’t hear the kids at all
Same here. Masks should not be a thing in schools. Hope sanity prevails and they are forbidden.

Our school is saying mask wearing will continue after Easter but school is planning to modify bubbles so that year groups can move around and use the specialist areas such as science labs.

Here's what concerns me- the fact that the school don't want to know who is vaccinated. It is one policy for all no matter if they have been vaccinated.
My DC has had both vaccines as have many other sixth formers (especially since they have to get Pfizer, which means they get called back sooner as it is organised directly by GP).

This means my DC is now 90-100% protected from any infection and highly unlikely to pass on any infection since they would be almost certain to have almost no live virus in them.

But for the sake of fairness they have to self-isolate and wear masks like everyone else.

Even though that is not fair to the individuals involved and may impact their A levels and university applications.

I guess it's more about protecting the teachers which I completely agree with however, it would be more comfortable not to wear them particularly in the hot weather (as a nurse I wear them for 12 hour days and it's awful in the hot weather).

Before Easter my dd along with the other 300 in her year bubble! Had to isolate, luckily dd didn't get covid my DS also isolated up until Easter Sunday with the 30 kids in his tutor group. All a bit pointless as kids are wearing masks doing LFT are still isolating and their education continues to be affected.

Our school had masks on since Sept. There were only one case of isolation since then, in other year group from my dc's. Nothing so far this term. Added bonus of not catching cold either. So obviously mask do work.

"Before Easter my dd along with the other 300 in her year bubble! Had to isolate, luckily dd didn't get covid my DS also isolated up until Easter Sunday with the 30 kids in his tutor group. All a bit pointless as kids are wearing masks doing LFT are still isolating and their education continues to be affected."
That sums up a lot of what I am worried about. The continued disruption to education particularly for exam cohort children when can they demonstrate how much work they have done if they are made to isolate when they are meant to be taken assessments (exams by another name.....).

I feel so sad for the kids. I just came across this, written by teenagers about their experience of school.

covidiotsinquaranteen.wordpress.com/2021/03/21/the-masquerade-2/

My 11 year old came home with a headache every day when the weather was slightly warmer from wearing the mask in school all day and an hour of public transport each way. Awful. No announcement on this - guess they are here to stay all summer term through the heat

I chose to remove DD in October to home school until the worst was over. We were hoping to put her back on the waiting list in June for a September start when things were "back to normal" but who knows if school will be normal again for a long while. Her commute was 45 minutes each way so she would have to wear a mask eight hours a day. She has high anxiety/aspergers so won't opt out because she's worried she'll stand out. She also wasn't able to access her safe spaces like the library for lunch anymore.
Don't know what I'm going to do as she's going into year nine and I haven't been overly impressed with her online school. She also has no friends her own age and it's breaking my heart :(

People manage to wear them, many many of them in much hotter countries.
And how many exactly alevel students have been vaxxed there cant be that many ecv/cv.
So no i dont think an exception should be made for those vaccinated students. Because the others havent been offered a jab and wont be till probably jul.

But i do think it could be an
Issue in sept if the 16yo start getting vaxxed but the youngest ones just 15 cant be for eg if say then the vaxxed didnt need to isolate.

@Buzzinwithbez that article is heartbreaking. Poor kids have had such a strange time and mainly without complaining or questioning I feel sorry for all of them.
@Beebityboo that’s sounds very worrying and hard. I hope things move forward quickly so your dd feels she can get back to school.

Masks reduce transmission so I hope they stay in order to protect the teachers.

We’re keeping them and encouraging the wearing of them more strongly after the Easter holiday.

@everyonecanjustfeckoff

Of course it has to be one rule for all until a vaccination is offered to all.

Our school is still saying mask wearing after Easter holiday as well.