Dear Parents/ Guardians,
Please see below the most recent guidance on the wearing of Face Coverings for Foundation Phase children.
As regards primary schools, the extant advice and guidance from the Welsh Government Chief Medical Officer is clear. The Technical Advice issued on 26 August states:
“There appears to be little additional value of face coverings in children under age 11, as the evidence points to low rates of symptomatic infection and transmission in this age group. On safety and wellbeing grounds, children under age 2 should not wear face coverings”.
Furthermore, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF advise (to paraphrase) decision makers to apply the following criteria for use of masks in children in areas where there is known or suspected community transmission of Covid 19 and in settings where physical distancing cannot be achieved.
Essentially, children aged up to five years should not wear masks and for those between six and 11 years of age, a risk-based approach should be applied taking into account the intensity of transmission in the area; available evidence on the risk of infection and transmission in this age group and social and cultural considerations plus the child’s capacity to comply with the appropriate use of masks and the availability of appropriate adult supervision; the potential impact of mask wearing on learning and psychosocial development and any additional considerations for specific settings such as sport or for children with disabilities/underlying conditions.
On Home to School Transport,
we believe that the position is clear. Face coverings must be worn by youngsters aged 11 or over – circa 2800 pupils across the County Borough of secondary school age.