Not enough evidence to stop wearing masks in secondary school classrooms after Easter, union leader says

National Education Union ‘worried’ there is not enough data ‘to make decision right now’

There is not enough evidence to support getting rid of face masks in secondary school classrooms after Easter, the leader of the UK’s largest teaching union has said.

When all students in England returned from 8 March, new guidance recommended the use of face masks in secondary school classrooms - as well as communal areas and corridors - unless social distancing was possible.

This will remain the case until Easter, when guidance will be reviewed, the government said.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said face coverings should remain in secondary schools "until the science says that it’s safe to remove them".

He said: "We’re worried that with only two weeks’ data, or two and a bit weeks’ data, it’s not safe to make that decision right now and therefore to say remove them after Easter."

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Jon Richards from Unison, said: “Lifting this measure before the impact on transmission in schools ​has had time to be assessed would be rash. “

The union’s head of education added: “It could undermine the morale of staff​, who see face coverings as ​an important protection ​at work.”

A Unison poll of more than 7,000 school support staff found that nearly two in three felt safer at work because of face coverings, while 84 per cent said pupils were wearing face masks in the classroom since the full return this month.

“Removing the need for masks in schools could see a spike in cases,” Mr Richards said. “Th​is is the last thing the country needs. It would be unfair on the staff taking risks every day, unfair on the children who’ve already missed out on months of education and unfair on the communities they serve.”

Earlier this month, MPs heard that school leaders had received "threatening letters" from parents who did not want their children to wear face coverings.

Deaf children have also told The Independent about the challenges of other students wearing face masks in the classroom since the 8 March return, leaving them unable to lip-read.

Mr Courtney from the NEU said the union hoped masks will not have to stay until the end of the academic year.

Last month, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said it was “highly recommended” for secondary school pupils to wear masks in the classroom when they returned to school from 8 March, when all pupils were allowed back after most had been at home for two months during lockdown.

“We want to do everything we can to reduce the risk of transmission in the school,” he told BBC Breakfast.

However, the use of face masks in secondary school classrooms is not be mandatory, he added.

A government spokesperson said: “We are recommending that secondary school and college students wear face coverings where social distancing cannot be maintained, and where students are not exempt, as a temporary precautionary measure.”

They added: “We have committed to reviewing this recommendation at Easter, where a decision will be made in partnership with health experts as to whether evidence suggests that these measures can be eased ahead of the summer term.”