Union calls for school staff to be allowed to wear masks

A partial U-turn has already been made in the shape of an announcement mandating secondary school pupils in local lockdown areas to wear face coverings and giving head teachers at any school the “flexibility” to introduce masks in their schools.

But the trade union for school support staff says that this change does not go far enough.

This call for maximum understanding on the part of headteachers and allowing anyone working or studying in a school to wear a face covering if they desire echoes one made recently at Wigan Today and in the Wigan Observer by the Wigan branch of the National Education Union (NEU).

Unison North West schools organiser Keith Bradley said: “The virus remains a real and present danger in our region. School staff, whether they work in colleges, primary or secondary schools must have the right to further protect themselves using a face covering if they want to.

“The Government has passed the decision on to headteachers and in doing so has diverted their own responsibility for the safety of school staff, pupils and the wider community.”

The trade union has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson about the use of face coverings.

The North West has the highest number of cases of any region in the country, with 51,708.

Unison’s head of education Jon Richards said: “The focus on pupils is understandable but the government has already admitted the biggest risk in schools is to staff.

“School staff who work closely with pupils, and move between classes and bubbles, have particular challenges.”

Mr Richards said that while the Government’s moves were welcome the recent changes still left a “confusing picture”.