Demand for ‘crystal clear’ advice on face masks for schools return

UUP MLA Robbie Butler, his party’s education spokesperson, said detailed new guidance expected from the Stormont education department this week must be “crystal clear”.

He was speaking after two Northern Ireland schools confirmed to parents that pupils would be expected to wear face coverings.

Belfast Royal Academy has said face masks will be mandatory for “for all pupils, staff and visitors”.

Principal, Mrs Hilary Woods, said in a statement that the response from parents to the move has been “overwhelmingly positive”.

Slemish College in Ballymena also announced that it would ask all pupils and staff to wear face masks inside the school, but stopped short of making them compulsory.

Education Minister Peter Weir announced last week that full-time education would be returning to all schools in Northern Ireland from August 31 onwards.

He also said the Northern Ireland Executive would not be recommending compulsory face masks for pupils.

Northern Ireland’s Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Ian Young, meanwhile, had previously advised the department that “there may be some benefit to the use of face coverings by older pupils where social distancing cannot be maintained”.

The Department of Education is expected to make detailed guidance available to schools – including advice on the use of face masks – later this week.

But it emerged following a query from the News Letter earlier this week that the Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride, along with Professor Young, have yet to give their approval to the guidance.

Mr Butler said schools must be given clear information to prevent each school making individual decisions around face masks.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that clarity in terms of the information and uniformity be given to schools as soon as possible,” he said.

“The guidance needs to be crystal clear. We need to trust head teachers but we also don’t want to see a school up the road with one policy and a school down the road with another.”