Letter: Updated Government Guidance of the Wearing of Face Coverings in Schools

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Mask Wearing Letter - May 2021.pdf 316 KB

13 May 2021

 

 

Dear Parents and Carers

 

 

On Monday 10th May 2021 the Department for Education (DfE) updated its guidance to schools regarding the wearing of face coverings in schools.  This guidance now states that from Monday 17th May 2021 it is no longer necessary for students in secondary schools to wear a face covering, and that school staff are now only expected to wear a face covering in communal areas and corridors where social distancing can not be achieved.  We will however, support any of our staff who choose to continue wearing a face covering.

 

This means that from Monday 17th May 2021 your child will no longer need to wear a face covering in school.  However, if they wish to continue to wear a face covering in corridors and communal areas, then of course, they may.

 

Within the DFE guidance it does state that “Directors of Public Health may also decide to take additional steps to further reduce risks of transmission in individual education settings where Variants of Concern have been identified and may advise the temporary reintroduction of face coverings in an individual setting or a cluster of settings where necessary. This may include face coverings in communal areas (for pupils) and/or classrooms (both pupils and staff). In all cases any educational drawbacks in the recommended use of face coverings should be balanced with the benefits in managing transmission and should allow for reasonable exemptions for their use.” We will inform you if we become an education setting that this affects.

 

Please be aware that other control measures, including additional cleaning, hand washing/sanitising and year group‘bubbles’ will remain in place in school in line with national and DfE guidance and in line with the school’s revised COVID risk assessment that can be found on our website.

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

Laura Eddery

Principal