FOLLOWING a government announcement last month, pupils and staff must wear face coverings in all indoor communal areas in schools.

These include corridors, when moving around school, in social spaces such as the dining hall, in queues and in other situations where they are not able to socially-distance.

Pupils are not required to wear face coverings during lessons or whilst eating or drinking in their dining area.

The specific guidance from Government is as follows:

In schools where pupils in year seven and above are educated and further education colleges, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

Face coverings should also be worn by pupils in year 7 and above when travelling on dedicated school transport to secondary schools or on public transport to college.

How should children use face coverings?

• Their face covering needs to cover their nose and mouth when they’re wearing it

• They shouldn’t touch the front of the face covering or the part that has touched the mouth or nose

• If possible, they should store it in an individual, seal-able plastic bag between uses.
 If it becomes damp, they should not wear it, and they should replace it

• Reusable face coverings will need to be washed at the end of each day, ready for your child to wear the next day

• You can wash and dry reusable face coverings with normal laundry – follow the washing instructions for the fabric and use normal detergent

• The single-use face coverings are not intended for repeated use and therefore should be disposed of and your child should wear a new one the next day.

Do you think your child should be made to wear a facemask? Email your views to letters@nqnw.co.uk.