Denied Education for wearing a face mask

[Sumh]

I’m on the NHS extremely vulnerable shielding category. My 12 year old daughter is attending state secondary school. She is being denied to enter her classroom because she chooses to wear a plain cloth face mask. She has been left outside the class on her own with little provided worksheets to work on her own but no directed teaching.

The DfE ‘guidance’ on face coverings in education August 26 to schools highlights it’s just a ‘guidance’ and not mandatory, that it is not necessary/recommended/ to wear face mask because it may hinder communication by wearing face masks in education,

“ On the basis of current evidence, in light of the mitigating measures education settings are taking, and the negative impact on communication, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom even where social distancing is not possible. There is greater use of the system of controls for minimising risk, including through keeping in small and consistent groups or bubbles, and greater scope for physical distancing by staff within classrooms. Face coverings can have a negative impact on learning and teaching and so their use in the classroom should be avoided.”

but then fines of not wearing face masks in other settings are doubling, retail business staff now have to wear face masks, a legislation is in place enforcing wearing of face mask above the age of 11 in certain settings and plus the booth were cabinet ministers stand and give press briefing has 3 pictures, one is a face mask. All of this is an implied message to the public of how important it is to wear a face mask.

With all this message including WHOs recommendation that all 12 years plus should wear face mask, is it right that a U.K. state school should be denying a child from her right to education on a not mandatory guidance for simply taking extra precaution?

Both myself and my daughter do not go out without wearing a face mask which we have been doing so since March 2020 and she herself strongly agrees to wear one in school at all times for my safety. Having spoken to the senior managers and informing them of my NHS letter of previously shielding the school are still refusing, replying to me “it could open a floodgate!” but are they not digging a hole for them by denying a child education!

This guidance states for example when if it is mandatory to wear a face mask in school like corridors and communal areas but a child refuses to wear a face mask, then no one should be excluded from education for not wearing a face mask.

My child wants to wear one for hers and my safety without affecting anyone else’s liberty and yet she is being excluded from education.

Your thoughts will be appreciated.

The OP says she wears a plain cloth face mask - which probably actually doesnt do very much

When pupils are home isolating because someone in class was tested positive is an unnecessary educational disruption for unwilling to take up one simple additional precaution but yet you would be fined elsewhere!

Since a mask prevents to great extent both spread and intake according to government and Oxford Uni scientists, only the confirmed child whether wearing a mask or not and any other child who did not wear a mask could have been told to isolate, and keep back those who did wear a mask in school.
If the child positive did wear a mask then may be only those children within 2m are told to isolate.
Should everyone voluntarily wore one then may be just the confirmed child and the child sitting next to her in class are told to isolate. Everyone else keeps learning and the teacher stays too thus not worrying about current teacher shortage due to isolation as many schools are reporting.

There is actually evidence that face masks offer some protection to the wearer. It's unlikely to completely prevent infection but reduces the viral load recieved. Either way her face mask isn't harming anyone so she should be allowed in the classroom.

OP a mask is a very useful tool to have in the fight against Coronavirus spread but it is just that a tool.

Even if masks were worn in a classroom I would still expect everyone in close contact

Remember SD with a mask is still 1m - that isnt what you get in the classroom.

It is great that your daughter wants to help have another level of protection (and it will help reduce) and as a PP said in order to be the most effective it would need to be a medical grade mask

The plain cloth mask your DD wears will help reduce spread and load but I am not sure to the extent you seem to think it will

Thanks, I wasn’t too clear but she wears both 3 ply Type IIR disposable masks and 3 layer design cloth mask.

So she wears two masks??

OP is she wearing two masks because that might be an indication of what is happening

She should be allowed to wear a mask in the classroom but I wonder if part of the problem is that she desperately wants to have an education but feels that she could endanger you.

You have now put onto her that wearing a mask will enable her to be able to do it and although useful at reducing risk it certainly doesnt eliminate it

No!! She wears one at any one time but when she disposes the disposable she puts on the cloth mask.

This sort of thing males my blood boil. Im a ward sister I wear mine all day (and sometimes when I drive hime because I forgot Im wearing it!). Many of my NHS colleagues spoke out about the lack of masks etc they were not just thinking of protecting the patients and their colleagues they were thinking of protecting themselves.
There its some evidence that masks might reduce viral load and thus the severity of Covid19. If we are caring for patients with Covids19 or suspected Covid19 we put normal surgical masks on if there wasn't some chance that they weren't protecting us why would we bother? My colleagues and I have come into contact with patients with Covid19 and we haven't got it, is this luck or are they doing something? They must be costing the NHS a fortune my trust goes through over 100,000in three days apparently would the already strapped for cash NHS really fund them if they were doing nothing to protect the staff? .
OP I can understand where you're coming from of course your DD wants to protect you, I don't get the idea that you cant control a class if you're wearing one, or any of the other excuses people put forward for not wearing one. I wear one all day during the summer months in building devoid of air conditioning but with no proper opening windows the temp exceeded 30 degrees at times and we wear a plastic gloves and apron as well, I teach a class full of students in mine ok its not easy but I do it, I manage staff, care for patients, diffuse difficult situations, liaise with hundreds if people, answer the phone 1/2 a million times a day, support bereaved relatives and God knows what else, you can do anything in one on you want too or have too. Its just crap to say you cant do this and that in one you can. If there is even a remote possibility that they are protecting me from Covid19 I'll wear it till hell freezes over regardless of how uncomfortable it might be. If your DD believes that there is a remote possibility that she's stopping herself and then you from getting Covid19 then she should be allowed too wear one to school if she wants too.

No it doesn’t eliminate nor does distancing or any form of measure one could take, however every precaution you can take In combination is a common sense approach to protecting yourself and others around you. If I asked my daughter to be allowed to wear a Cow Boy hat to avoid glare of the sun in class then that would be unreasonable. Given then pandemic, many fines for not wearing one, ie accepting they work either from spreading and intake, including that press briefing podium now has three pictures with one as a face mask, our request is not unreasonable.

Thankyou and I pray I don’t add any additional burden to any Ward SisterS or the NHS by not using my common sense to stay alert stay safe and save lives.

@happywearingmymaskallday I agree. I would let her wear it, in fact I would thank her. I'm a secondary teacher who wears a mask all day. The guidance from Boris and co is dreadful.

When pupils are home isolating because someone in class was tested positive is an unnecessary educational disruption for unwilling to take up one simple additional precaution but yet you would be fined elsewhere!
Wearing or not wearing a mask doesn't change the procedures for isolating a bubble,
If the child positive did wear a mask then may be only those children within 2m are told to isolate.
Should everyone voluntarily wore one then may be just the confirmed child and the child sitting next to her in class are told to isolate. Everyone else keeps learning and the teacher stays too thus not worrying about current teacher shortage due to isolation as many schools are reporting

That's not how it works.
At this point you've now tried to argue the law says something different to what it does and now you're trying to make arguments about how schools isolate bubbles. Clearly you've decided that you're totally right and everyone else is wrong so it's almost pointless explaining further as whatever people say you're going to argue you know best.

Haven't rtft but I'm in Ireland and all secondary school pupils have to wear masks.

Hi as I said your thoughts will be appreciated and I thank everyone for posting their opinions.

Your school's response is odd. Most schools are allowing DCs/parents to choose.
On that basis, I'd try to find out the policy in other schools in your LA and then write to your school asking why they are isolating your DC.
It may be they are isolating them as an extra precaution and not as a punishment.

Hi, no they could mention that they are helping me because of my circumstance but no acknowledgement whatsoever.

It really depends on the quality of mask though.

True.

And in a medical setting they change them regularly and in accordance with best practice.

There's no way OP's DD is doing all that.

I think this is ridiculous. My dc's school made it mandatory to wear mask. Before that, it wasn't recommended, but was a choice.
I find it really hard to understand why the school let her wear one if she wants to.
Obviously we really aren't sure the effect of wearing a mask, but if it really help the child and her parents feel reassured wearing one, I don't understand why not. It's not going to cause huge trouble to anyone else.

8don't let her wear one

Official letter from headteacher, states she will remain outside the classroom if I continue to send her to school with a face mask.

I’d pull her then. It’s letting you know that the school puts appearance before the welfare and anxieties of its students and tells you a lot about the general ethos of the school.

I would not want my child in such an uncaring environment.

@Ohalrightthen

Two things...

A) your daughter wearing a mask in school does jack shit to protect you

B) if they let her wear a mask (especially because there's no science backing it up) they'd have to let all the other kids wear masks, which would make teaching and controlling a class practically impossible.

while you are correct with A, as someone who has worked in schools, your point B is daft. Most kids would not want to wear a maks all day, and while some would, it really won't effect teaching or learning.

The main reason that kids aren't wearing them all day is that it is uncomfortable, and a pain to wear a face covering all day.

OP I am pretty shocked at the schools response.

I have kids at 2 secondaries, and they are saying kids can wear them all day if they want to. (mandatory in corridors, but not in class) Very few are, but there is no reason why they can't.

My mother makes masks.

We've got 3 local secondary schools here

They all asked her to make 400 masks each. So here every single secondary school have them and uses them.