Masks are now part of school uniform: Secondary head tells pupils and staff they must wear face-coverings when classes restart in September – despite government advice saying otherwise
- Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College has enforced rule
- It comes after Government advice saying masks in schools is ‘not recommended’
- Matt Hancock said: ‘If you’re in a classroom with kids all day then a mask doesn’t give you protection’
A secondary school in Crewe has defied Government advice and announced that wearing face masks will be mandatory for all students and staff when it reopens in September.
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College made the announcement in its latest newsletter, released on July 17, despite Government advice ruling face coverings should not be worn in schools.
The Government’s official website says: ‘Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended.
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College in Crewe (pictured) has announced that wearing face masks will be mandatory for all students and staff when it reopens in September
‘Face coverings may be beneficial for short periods indoors where there is a risk of close social contact with people you do not usually meet and where social distancing and other measures cannot be maintained, for example on public transport or in some shops.
‘This does not apply to schools or other education settings.’
Holmes Chapel, which caters for students between the ages of 11 and 18, has recommended that parents buy their children a reusable navy mask for £3.
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College made the announcement in its latest newsletter, released on July 17 (pictured)
The Government’s official website says: ‘Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended’ (stock picture)
The school claims: ‘On the balance of probability, the wearing of face masks is likely to make our school safer than if we don’t wear them.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast on July 15: ‘We’re not recommending masks for schools because if you’re in a classroom with kids all day then a mask doesn’t give you protection.’
Children under the age of 11 are exempt from having to wear a face mask in any setting under the Government’s new guidelines.
The school claims: ‘On the balance of probability, the wearing of face masks is likely to make our school safer than if we don’t wear them’
Holmes Chapel will be making students wear a face mask during all lessons and while inside any school building.
The school will also be making sure teachers and students clean their hands with sanitiser before entering each lesson.
Students will also be made to maintain a ‘two-metre exclusion zone’ around all staff members.
Classrooms have been rearranged so that all students will face forward and there is a gap of at least two metres between the teacher and students.
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College has been contacted for comment.