20 January 2022
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Update For Parents & Carers on Face Coverings 20.01.22
Dear Parents & Carers,
As you will be aware, the Prime Minister announced in Parliament yesterday afternoon that the use of face coverings in the classroom would end as of today, Thursday 20th January. The Department of Education then updated their guidance for schools at 5.00 p.m. by providing the following detail:
Department for Education Guidance on Face Coverings 19.01.22
An update for all education and childcare settings following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the end of Plan B:
Today, the Prime Minister announced that all Plan B measures will be removed in England, with a full return to Plan A by Thursday 27 January. In education and childcare settings, this means:
From tomorrow, Thursday 20 January, face coverings are no longer recommended in classrooms and teaching spaces for staff, and pupils and students in year 7 and above. They were introduced in classrooms at the start of the spring term as a temporary measure.
From Thursday 27 January, face coverings are no longer recommended in communal areas for staff, and pupils and students in year 7 and above.
This decision comes in response to national infection data showing the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory. Whilst there are some groups where cases are likely to continue rising, it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally. There remains significant pressure on the NHS but hospital admissions have stabilised, and the number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) remain low and are falling.
This means it is right we remove the most stringent restrictions around wearing face coverings from education, but the virus is still with us, and continuing with proportionate protective measures remains vital to protect education.
Local directors of public health are able to recommend the use of face coverings in communal areas, across their area only, where DfE and public health experts judge the measure to be proportionate due to specific health concerns. This is a temporary measure. Directors of public health will continue to advise individual settings experiencing outbreaks. Any local introduction of face coverings will be subject to routine review and removed at the earliest opportunity.
It would have been helpful if the change had been scheduled to start on Monday 24th January as it would have given schools more time to plan effectively and to share that information in a measured way. We are also very mindful that case numbers in the North East are still very high. However, case numbers amongst students and staff have been comparatively low at Durham Johnston when compared with other schools. We currently have 5 members of staff and 38 students self-isolating because of positive tests. Based upon the DfE guidance, our position will revert to that used by the school in the autumn term.
Wearing a face covering in the classroom is a personal choice and we will support the decisions that students and their families make. Wearing a face covering in communal areas is still highly recommended until Thursday 27th January. If numbers increase significantly amongst staff and students we will work closely with the Local Authority Public Health Team and will reintroduce any measures deemed necessary based upon their specialist advice. We are committed to doing all that we can to protect our students, their families and face-to-face education.
In summary:
- Face coverings are no longer strongly recommended by the DfE in classrooms from today. However, we will fully support those students and staff that continue to wear face coverings.
- Face coverings are still strongly recommended in communal areas until Thursday 27th January 2022. I will update students, parents and carers if this advice changes at any point next week.
- If numbers increase in school, we will seek Public Health advice and, if directly instructed, will reintroduce additional measures as appropriate.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Mr. O’Sullivan