Pupils should not be excluded for failing to wear a mask in schools, new government guidance says.

The Department for Education has updated its guidance after a U-turn on wearing them in schools was confirmed last night.

The government is now expecting secondary staff and pupils local lockdown zones to wear face masks when moving around school and in communal areas. 

Other secondaries will be able to introduce similar mask policies at their own discretion.

The DfE’s new guidance tells schools that no one should be excluded from education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering.

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It also says schools should keep a small contingency supply of masks available for pupils who have forgotten their mask or for when their mask has become soiled or unsafe.

The new guidance published today by the Department for Education says: “It is reasonable to assume that staff and young people will now have access to face coverings due to their increasing use in wider society, and Public Health England has made available resources on how to make a simple face covering.

“However, where anybody is struggling to access a face covering, or where they are unable to use their face covering due to having forgotten it or it having become soiled or unsafe, education settings should take steps to have a small contingency supply available to meet such needs.

“No-one should be excluded from education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering.”

The DfE guidance also stresses that it is “vital that face coverings are worn correctly and that clear instructions are provided to staff, children and young people on how to put on, remove, store and dispose of face coverings” to avoid inadvertently increasing the risk of infection.

“Safe wearing of face coverings requires cleaning of hands before and after touching - including to remove or put them on - and the safe storage of them in individual, sealable plastic bags between use,” the document adds.

“Where a face covering becomes damp, it should not be worn and the face covering should be replaced carefully.”

The guidance comes after another dramatic U-turn - as first revealed by Tes yesterday afternoon - on the wearing of face masks.

Although the DfE is “not recommending face coverings are necessary” nationwide, it has said secondary schools will have the “discretion” to make masks mandatory in communal areas.