Secondary school pupils must wear face coverings in school corridors in local lockdown areas in England after the Government lifted its guidance.
The principals of each secondary school will also have the “flexibility” to introduce masks in their schools.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said it followed updated advice from the World Health Organization.
But Labor accused the government of passing the buck on decisions to schools.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new guidance meant that in coronavirus “hotspot” areas it “probably makes sense to use a face covering in the corridor and elsewhere in confined areas outside of the classroom”.
The rule change, announced on Tuesday night, means no face coverings in the classroom – which Mr Johnson said would have been “nonsensical” as “you can’t teach with face coverings and you can’t expect people with face coverings to study coverings.”
Mr Johnson at a Leicestershire school told pupils their exam grades were “nearly derailed by a mutant algorithm” and that the biggest risk they faced was not Covid-19 but “continued being absent from school”.
His comments came just before the government announced a leadership change at the top of the education ministry.
The department’s longest-serving official, Secretary of State Jonathan Slater, was asked to resign.
A statement said the Prime Minister had concluded that there was “a need for new official leadership in the Department of Education”.
It added: “Jonathan Slater has therefore agreed that he will step down on September 1 before the end of his term in Spring 2021.”
The political switch to face coverings so close to returning to school had drawn criticism from some Conservative MPs.
Huw Merriman said the use of face coverings sent “the wrong message” suggesting “schools are not a safe environment”.
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Mr Williamson insisted the government was “listening to the latest medical and scientific advice” and taking “the most precautionary approach”.
The Department of Education says it is still sticking to its recommendation against the use of face coverings – but secondary schools can now decide for themselves whether to ask students and staff to wear them.
This will happen in “common areas” of schools, such as corridors, where social distancing is difficult to maintain and where schools “believe this is right in their particular circumstances”.
But in parts of the country with high levels of coronavirus transmission, such as such as those with local lockdown measures, face coverings will be mandatory in such common areas for adults and students.
The new guidelines, effective September 1, also warn that “tighter guidelines” for face coverings could apply to all schools “as the rate of transmission increases across the country.”
On Wednesday, the Department of Education said all schools will be supplied with 10 coronavirus test kits to be used in “extraordinary circumstances” when no other testing method is available.
They would also be given a “small quantity” of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as aprons, gloves, visors and clinical face masks.
The face covering change follows last week’s update of WHO advice, which now recommends that children over the age of 12 should wear masks under the same conditions as adults.
The Government has been under pressure over face coverings in England’s schools – with secondary schools in Scotland looking to use them in corridors and common areas from next week.
Northern Ireland is now also recommending face coverings for secondary school corridors, while Wales has left the decision to school leaders but highlights advice they recommend inside where social distancing cannot be maintained, including on school transport.
School leaders’ union, ASCL, had warned of confusion over face covering rules – and said there was ambiguity over how schools should respond if teachers or students wanted to wear masks.
After the government’s policy change, union leader Geoff Barton said school leaders “would welcome the flexibility” to “decide what best suits their circumstances”.
But Paul Whiteman, chair of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “It is neither helpful nor fair to ask principals to make individual decisions about face coverings in their school. Such decisions should rest with public health officials.”
The National Education Union’s Kevin Courtney welcomed “the steps that are being taken now” but criticized the “slow, incoherent” way the decision was made – and said it would not inspire confidence from parents or teachers.
Conservative MP Huw Merriman said the guidance change “created uncertainty”.
“My concern is that we keep making this up over time,” the Tory MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today program, adding that the government “needs to get a grip on it”.
Asked if he would take responsibility for decisions about face coverings and exam grades, Mr Williamson admitted it had been “incredibly difficult and incredibly tough”.
“At every stage everyone takes responsibility for what they do and how they go about things and we are focused on making sure we are delivering the best for children across the country,” he told BBC Breakfast.
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Some parents said they want face coverings to be mandatory in common areas of all secondary schools.
Pamela Allen, from Canterbury, said her son’s secondary school had told her to follow government advice and not wear face coverings.
“I find [the government] should lead the charge against the virus, rather than reacting to it, if there is a local lockdown,” she told the BBC.
“It would give us confidence that we are sending our children to as safe a place as possible.”
She added she would send her son to school with a face covering to wear between classes.
Despite official policies against face coverings, some schools had already prepared to use them.
The Oasis Academy Trust, which has more than 50 schools in England, is said to be providing visors to its teachers – and secondary school pupils would be required to wear masks in corridors.
Steve Chalke, chief executive of the trust, said there is a responsibility to make schools “as safe as possible” – and that means using masks and visors.
He said masks could boost the confidence of parents who are “nervous” about sending their children back to school.
Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green has said face coverings should be mandatory in common areas of schools.
“Instead of this half-baked about-face, the government should have provided clear guidance and a plan to implement it,” she said.
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