Headteachers have expressed confusion over the delivery of thousands of face masks to primary schools, with one calling the move a “waste” of resources.
Primary schools across the country have been receiving boxes of face masks from the Department for Education in recent weeks - despite never being asked by the government to use them for pupils or in lessons.
The deliveries are also being called into question given the government’s strong instructions for mask-wearing to stop in all school areas as of this week.
Last Wednesday, the government announced that masks would be scrapped in secondary classrooms from 20 January, and no longer required in communal areas in these settings from this Thursday (27 January).
The DfE told Tes today that the department issued a bulletin along with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSE) before Christmas, detailing that any face masks left over from distributions in other school settings would be donated to primaries.
However, heads have questioned the quantity and timing of the deliveries.
Simon Smith, head at East Whitby Academy in North Yorkshire, said last week that his school had unexpectedly received 2000 face coverings and was still waiting for the lateral flow tests it was expecting.
Rob Harris, a primary head at Burchetts Green CofE Infants’ School in Maidenhead, branded the move “a waste” after his school with only 50 pupils also received 2000 masks on 11 January.
Mr Harris, who is currently isolating with Covid, told Tes there had been no communication as to why the masks had been delivered to his school in particular.
He had planned to give the masks to a secondary school in the same trust, however, after the government’s announcement of the scrapping of masks in these settings, they are no longer needed.
Another primary head said that she had also received 2000 face masks but was still waiting for any CO2 monitors to arrive.
One primary head said the lateral flow tests they ordered three weeks ago still had not arrived.
Meanwhile, some teachers replying to the thread feared the expiry date on the masks was coming up.
Despite relaxing Covid restrictions, prime minister Boris Johnson said last Wednesday that he expected cases to continue to rise in primary schools.
Today, the Office for National Statistics revealed that in the week ending 15 January, the Covid infection rate increased in primary school-aged pupils with 8.1 per cent testing positive, up from 7.7 per cent two weeks beforehand.
Tes previously reported that some primary settings were tightening Covid rules as cases soared at the beginning of term.
Simon Kidwell, principal of Hartford Manor Primary School and Nursery in Cheshire, said his school is still using face coverings in communal areas for staff and was currently in discussions about whether the use of masks would continue after Thursday.
Mr Kidwell’s school has not received face masks from the DfE but has ordered more separately.
A DfE spokesperson said: “We have always advised schools and colleges to maintain a contingency supply of face coverings to use if needed. At the end of last term, we wrote to all schools and colleges to let them know we would be providing a small supply of face coverings to support them in this at no cost to them.”
The department prioritised secondary schools and colleges as face coverings were, at that time, advised for staff and pupils, the spokesperson said.
But they added that the DfE also delivered face coverings to other settings, such as primary schools, so they too had a small contingency supply for staff and visitors.
The spokesperson said: “There are no widespread issues affecting lateral flow test kit supplies to educational settings. Millions of tests continue to be delivered every week to meet the orders placed by schools, and emergency replenishment kits can be ordered by schools if required.”
