Most secondary teachers want to keep masks in corridors

But face coverings in autumn term are less popular with younger staff and primary teachers, survey shows
7th September 2021, 6:26pm

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Most secondary teachers want to keep masks in corridors

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/most-secondary-teachers-want-keep-masks-corridors
Covid & Schools: Most Secondary Teachers Want To Keep Masks In Corridors S

A majority of secondary teachers say they will continue to wear face masks or visors in school corridors this term, according to a new survey.

But the measure is less popular with younger staff and primary teachers, new data published by the Teacher Tapp app suggests.

Asked if they were planning to continue using face coverings this term, most secondary teachers in all age groups said they wanted to keep wearing masks in school corridors.


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However, the proportion who said they would do this fell with age - with 65 per cent of secondary teachers aged 50 or above planning to wear face coverings in corridors, dropping to 60 per cent in their 40s, 56 per cent in their 30s, and 51 per cent in their 20s.

 

Graph showing proportion of teachers planning to wear masks in schools

And a majority of primary teachers in their 20s and 30s said they didn’t want to wear masks in school at all.

Covid: Teachers’ concerns about safety measures in schools

Meanwhile, half of primary teachers in their 40s said they weren’t in favour of wearing a mask around school, compared with 37 per cent in their 50s or above.

 

Graph showing proportion of teachers planning to wear masks in schools

Overall, 12 per cent of teachers across both primary and secondary schools said they were planning to continue wearing masks in classrooms, while 43 per cent said they would keep using them in corridors, and 22 per cent said they would wear face coverings in staff-only areas.

More than two in five (43 per cent) said they didn’t want to wear a mask in school, while 5 per cent said they would not be wearing one because they were not allowed to.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The measures in place in schools for the autumn term strike a balance between making schools safe - with enhanced ventilation, Covid testing and vaccinations of older students and staff - and reducing disruption by removing bubbles and face coverings.

“Our guidance is clear that schools should only introduce additional measures if advised by local directors of public health in response to high case rates within the school. Such measures should be temporary and carefully balance public health concerns with the need to prioritise face-to-face education.”

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