The government has given heads the power to mandate the wearing of masks in secondary schools, but getting teenagers (and staff) to wear masks in the correct way is not going to be easy.

To get the benefits of masks, they need to be handled, worn and stored in a certain way. Schools are going to have to educate staff and pupils to do all of this properly.

So how might it be best to do that?

How to wear a face mask properly

One way is to distribute the below video from the World Health Organisation to all teachers, pupils and families, and then to give pupils a quiz on the information on the first day of school, and then at spaced intervals afterwards.

Another - or complementary - approach would be to get teachers to run practical lessons communicating the messages in the above video, and then correcting any errors as students practice the processes prescribed. Again, this would need to be repeated regularly across the term.

Finally, you could also print out the government instructions on face mask where and distribute to every child and teacher.

Government guidelines on how to wear a face mask

The guidelines are as follows:

A face covering should:

• cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably;
• fit comfortably but securely against the side of the face;
• be secured to the head with ties or ear loops;
• be made of a material that you find to be comfortable and breathable, such as cotton;
• ideally include at least two layers of fabric (the World Health Organisation recommends three depending on the fabric used);
• unless disposable, it should be able to be washed with other items of laundry according to fabric washing instructions and dried without causing the face covering to be damaged.

When wearing a face covering you should:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on;
• avoid wearing on your neck or forehead;
• avoid touching the part of the face covering in contact with your mouth and nose, as it could be contaminated with the virus;
• change the face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it;
• avoid taking it off and putting it back on a lot in quick succession (for example, when leaving and entering shops on a high street).

When removing a face covering:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before removing;
• only handle the straps, ties or clips;
• do not give it to someone else to use;
• if single-use, dispose of it carefully in a residual waste bin and do not recycle;
• if reusable, wash it in line with manufacturer’s instructions at the highest temperature appropriate for the fabric;
• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser once removed.