Do you think Senior School children will have to wear face masks?

[BrandNewShinyThings]

Because I honestly don't know how I am going to get my 11yr old to school if that's the case. He absolutely cannot stand being too hot - I'm already stressing about the compulsory tank top and blazer - he just won't cope in a mask all day. No official medical reason, he had severe eczema when younger and still has very sensitive skin but no longer seen by the doctor as we manage it with emollients and antihistamines. This is a potential nightmare for so many children.
By the way I am 100% for supporting teachers and keeping them as safe as possible, I think teachers are being treated appallingly. But I am coming at this from the child's perspective.

You can get washable masks though, take them home in a resealable sandwich bag.

As it stands at my school masks are expected to be worn on school transport. Bins will be available at the entrances for disposable ones to be disposed of and reusable ones must be stored in a plastic bag inside their bags.
Year groups line up separately and will have staggered lunch and breaks.
Lower school will remain in one area the entire day and have one specific space for Lunch, groups will be mixed ability.
Upper school will remain in one space for the majority of their classes unless a specialised classroom is required, groups will be settled by their options as much as possible.
Teachers will move to the students, are allowed to wear face masks in the corridor and will be provided with materials to clean workstations between teachers.
There are various other things in place too but generally the students will remain in their form group bubbles so face masks, theoretically won't be required.

If it protects the kids and minimises the chances of them bringing it home, spreading it within the community and stops my teen year 10 daughter doing her school work, living, sleeping, relaxing and virtual socialising in her bedroom her feeling overwhelmed and the affect of her moods and the affect this is having on our family life sorry OP but please then bring on the mask wearing.

OP I also have itchy skin, asthma, menopausal so always hot and am a glasses wearer so I sympathise. You can get lighter masks and I would be telling the school he wouldn’t be wearing the tank top.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime thank you that's really helpful information

Splattherat I completely understand the need to get all children back to school for mental health and academic reasons. I also have a 16 yr old who has missed out on everything a Yr11 should do when finishing Senior School and has had his own issues to deal with. This has been tough for thousands of children and I have every sympathy for you and your DD. I'm not saying I'm opposed to schools being a safe environment, I'm just wondering how my own child will cope with wearing a mask (not well at all is my guess)
I don't know what the answer is, nothing is right for everyone.

I would welcome this, I have 2 in secondary who would both would be fine wearing a mask and the more that do the more normal it seems.
Hopefully this will reduce some transmission & keep schools open longer.

How about a more positive approach(not trying to belittle any ones difficulties) A discussion with your children on the fact that if we want to get anything from the shops or travel on public transport we now need to wear facemasks for everybody's safety and you know it gets easier the more you do it. So you could all wear a mask indoors for short periods of time and build it up. practise talking and see if other members of the family can understand you etc. That way if it becomes compulsory in school it may not be such a problem or you will at least have tried and be able to have a discussion with the school. No one is forcing us to wear masks for fun. There seems to be some evidence that wearing them in enclosed spaces helps protect us all.

@Chjd

How about a more positive approach(not trying to belittle any ones difficulties) A discussion with your children on the fact that if we want to get anything from the shops or travel on public transport we now need to wear facemasks for everybody's safety and you know it gets easier the more you do it. So you could all wear a mask indoors for short periods of time and build it up. practise talking and see if other members of the family can understand you etc. That way if it becomes compulsory in school it may not be such a problem or you will at least have tried and be able to have a discussion with the school. No one is forcing us to wear masks for fun. There seems to be some evidence that wearing them in enclosed spaces helps protect us all.

Yes this. I think it's a good idea to build up to wearing one over the next couple of months so that if it is mandatory for him in September, he is able to cope. Obviously there will be exemptions, and hopefully teachers would be wearing visors instead of masks.

I'll be wearing both. I will be teaching 150 students each day in quite small, badly ventilated classrooms. So I'll be doing all I can to not only not get it but also not transmit it. It's going to be weird but I've blinged my visor and have a subject specific mask. I expect kids will get used to it v quickly. Hopefully this way we can keep schools open with no cases 🤞

On the note of visors, I’d much prefer to wear one of these rather than a ‘face covering’ at the supermarket.
I showed DD, soon to be L6th and having to travel on public transport for the first time .
At. first she said ‘no way’
However, if ‘face coverings’ are mandated at Secondary/6th form she’s thinking a visor would be preferable to a mask.

Visors are v light too. I forget I've got mine on.

It’s tricky OP. There will be other parents who have the complete opposite experience - perhaps they have a DC vulnerable to Covid and therefore want masks as a way to make school as low risk as it can be.

I may be wrong, but I don't think visors on their own in the enclosed situation of this discussion are sufficient. As they do more research this may change of course.

I think Johnson is moving towards masks in schools.Daft to insist on them in shops but not schools which can be far more crowded and cramped.

@ProggyMat

On the note of visors, I’d much prefer to wear one of these rather than a ‘face covering’ at the supermarket. I showed DD, soon to be L6th and having to travel on public transport for the first time . At. first she said ‘no way’ However, if ‘face coverings’ are mandated at Secondary/6th form she’s thinking a visor would be preferable to a mask.

Where does one get such a visor? I think they seem much more comfortable than wearing a mask. Although they do look quite odd as more people wear masks rather than visors from what I've seen when out and about.

Meredusoleil just google ‘face visor’- there’s lots about.
And yes, to me they also look more comfortable, less restrictive and easily wiped down?

Will be watching with interest but my heart does sink at the thought if it tbh. Masks are hot and uncomfortable to wear and I've struggled to find one that fits my small 13 year old . School uniform can be hot and restricting enough as it is.
The advice doesn't add up, you have to wear a mask in a shop where you will be 1-2 metres apart for a few seconds but you can spend a couple of hours sitting the same distance away from someone in a restaurant and not wear one??? Our DCs school has said it will do large group bubbles but there are no extra school buses so frankly that's pointless.
It sounds like populism to me, boris is trying to show he is doing something but its ill thought out.

@Runnerduck34

Will be watching with interest but my heart does sink at the thought if it tbh. Masks are hot and uncomfortable to wear and I've struggled to find one that fits my small 13 year old . School uniform can be hot and restricting enough as it is. The advice doesn't add up, you have to wear a mask in a shop where you will be 1-2 metres apart for a few seconds but you can spend a couple of hours sitting the same distance away from someone in a restaurant and not wear one??? Our DCs school has said it will do large group bubbles but there are no extra school buses so frankly that's pointless. It sounds like populism to me, boris is trying to show he is doing something but its ill thought out.

None of it makes any sense really, and the rules seem to be changing all the time with very little clarity or consistency. I understand all the comments about making it a safe environment and of course that has to come first, but if children are too uncomfortable there won't be much learning going on. As Pp have said they will fiddle with their masks and itch their faces etc so the safety they offer will be minimal.

@ProggyMat

Meredusoleil just google ‘face visor’- there’s lots about. And yes, to me they also look more comfortable, less restrictive and easily wiped down?

Visors only protect from direct sneezes/coughs/spit, the aerosols can get behind the visor

Masks may become more widely used as we approach flu season or if we do get a resurgence of the virus. We are wearing and encouraging ds to wear now so if/when he needs to wear one he is already acclimatised/desensitised to them.

I cannot see how families are going to afford 15 masks a week per child

Buy/make reusable ones instead and wash each night. The disposable ones are much more uncomfortable, hot/sweaty than cloth ones.

Does anyone have any recommendations for lightweight , comfortable, reusable masks? There's so many out there and I don't know where to start!

On top of the issue of them being hot and uncomfortable, we are struggling with bad acne in our family. It's genetic, dd had to endure the controversial roaccutane treatment two years ago and it's now starting to come back again. Ds' skin is also starting to get worse and he'll probably need medication too soon. I'm fairly sure wearing a mask all day will be very bad for their acne, especially for ds, who tends to get it round his nose and mouth.

I know there are far more important things at stake and this probably seems insignificant. It's had a major effect on dd's mental health though, so it does worry me.

DD is finding the lack of social cues with no face masks a real challenge. It is almost sometimes like she can’t ‘hear’ people even though they are talking normally. There is nothing wrong with her hearing. That we are encouraging children to think wearing face masks is normal I am also not comfortable with but see why it is being done. I am looking forward to being able to greet people with a smile and know that is normal again.

@BrandNewShinyThings

I guess its a wait and see situation then

I'd not wait and see... get him to wear them at home for longer and longer stints rather than spring it on him in September.

Just get him used to it before September

My daughter's university are considering making face masks compulsory in all communal spaces (lecture theatres, libraries, common rooms etc). If that's the approach universities adopt, I think a lot of schools may follow suit as they are relatively similar environments which pose similar challenges to infection-control, although of course you have the accomodation aspect of university life to contend with too.