The removal of masks from schools today is a “balanced and proportionate decision”, the health secretary said this morning.
Asked about the removal of the masks-in-classrooms rule, Sajid Javid said that it was the right decision “balanced against the best interests of children”.
Mr Javid defended the decision, announced by prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday, after a backlash from school leaders and headteachers.
Caroline Derbyshire, chair of the Headteachers’ Roundtable, told Tes: “It is very unfortunate that the announcement came via the media, via prime minister’s questions, rather than through any direct communication from the Department for Education. That only arrived late in the day for implementation the day after, which meant headteachers and colleagues were under a lot of pressure to turn that around.”
She added that the announcement came as “a bit of a surprise to everyone”.
“In terms of communication and management, that was unfortunate and disrespectful yesterday,” she said. “The profession feels it is disrespectful to schools to jump them into action without good warning.
“There are many people in the education sector who are pleased that children don’t have to wear masks. There are parents who will be pleased, but also a number of parents who will feel anxious - they are the silent majority who are not as vocal as those who are against masks in class.”
Putting heads in a ‘difficult position’
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the announcement yesterday put schools leaders in a “potentially difficult position, particularly in areas where there are high Covid rates”.
“It is unlikely to have given them any time in which to consult with local directors of public health about whether they are advising the continued use of face masks on a temporary basis, or to communicate changes to staff and students,” he said.
“In these circumstances, it is not surprising if some schools decide to continue with face masks for the time being while they resolve these issues.”
Mr Barton said that ASCL would welcome the removal of masks if it is supported by science, but said circumstances will differ between schools and areas.
Andy Byers, headteacher at Framwellgate School in Durham and a Schools North East advisory board member, wrote to parents yesterday to advise the continuation of face masks for the next two to three weeks at his school as case rates in the area “are still relatively high”.
He said that his school has over 60 students and 10 staff members absent after testing positive for Covid-19.
“The announcement creates some difficulty for us,” Mr Byers wrote. “Speaking to colleagues in other local secondary schools, we are all in a similar position: high levels of absence, with some students missing important face-to-face teaching, and a reliance on supply teachers covering lessons.”
He continued: “The government is going to need to accept that what is said in Westminster is not necessarily what will happen on the ground in every part of the country.”
A decision in ‘the best interests of children’
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Mr Javid said that while prevalence remained high, case numbers were falling across the country and ministers had to consider the impact of mask-wearing on children’s education.
“There has long been a debate about face masks, particularly in schools,” he said. “The government’s job is to take a balanced and proportionate decision, in this case balanced against the best interests of children.
“It is harder to teach children and it will have an impact on their education if they are required to wear a face mask at all times in classrooms.”
He added: “Case numbers are falling in every part of the country and we are starting to see hospitalisations falling throughout England - in every area they are stabilised, in most areas they are starting to fall.”
In an email to schools sent late yesterday afternoon, the DfE said that local public health directors could still ”recommend the use of face coverings in communal areas, across their area only, where the DfE and public health experts judge the measure to be proportionate due to specific health concerns.”
However, it adds that any new local mask recommendation will be “subject to routine review and removed at the earliest opportunity”.
