Following Welsh Government’s update on the use of face coverings in schools based on additional advice from the Technical Advisory Group, Blaenau Gwent Council has today updated its policy.
Councillor Joanne Collins, Executive Member for Education confirmed
‘Home to school transport – in many cases, home to school transport provision will be close to full capacity. It is recognised that the highest level of risk is associated with secondary aged and special school pupils. Therefore, provided that it does not interfere with any medical conditions, it will be requirement for these pupils to wear face coverings.
This will be in addition to the current range of control measures which we have in place, as detailed within the local Schools Reopening Guidance.
Whilst the risks are significantly lower for primary aged pupils, this group will be encouraged to wear face coverings, as a form of good practice.
Parents will need to supply the necessary face coverings for their child/children. However, it is accepted that there may be issues in terms of access and instances where face coverings are lost for example and we will provide single use masks on all transport for use on an exception basis.
We will be issuing parents with further guidance including the need for a bag to keep reusable face coverings in, in order to manage infection control risks and single use coverings will need to be disposed of correctly.
School settings - schools have confirmed as part of their risk assessments that they are currently able to facilitate the necessary physical controls and have a series of measures in place in order to manage and mitigate risks.
Therefore, there is not presently a requirement for face coverings within school settings. This will however, be subject to regular and ongoing review once schools re-open in line with Welsh Government guidance and the dynamic risk assessment process.’