UK government U-turn on face coverings in English secondary schools

With millions of pupils set to return to England’s schools next week, the fallout from the exams fiasco and a series of U-turns has continued.

The governments in Westminster and Cardiff confirmed they would change their advice to pupils on face coverings.

Most pupils will now have to adapt to Covid-19 guidelines as schools reopen.

These include staggered start times, temperature checks, classroom bubbles and one-way corridor systems.

But in secondary schools, the issue of face coverings varies across the UK. In Scotland and parts of England where local lockdown restrictions are in place, face coverings will be mandatory for staff and pupils in communal areas, with these measures coming in at different dates.

And in Northern Ireland and Wales the use of face coverings will be recommended.