As of Thursday 20 January, neither staff nor pupils will be required to wear face masks in classrooms – a decision that is part of the beginning of the lifting of Plan B restrictions in England.

Boris Johnson announced in a statement to MPs on Jan 19 that the country will return to Plan A on Wednesday Jan 26.

The Prime Minister told the Commons: “Having looked at the data carefully, the Cabinet concluded that once regulations lapse the Government will no longer mandate the wearing of face masks anywhere.”

He went on to say that as of Jan 20, face masks would no longer be mandatory in classrooms and that the Department for Education would determine the removal of their use in communal areas shortly.

Previously, those in Year 7 and above had been asked to wear face masks in classrooms – after ministers drew up contingency plans to keep schools open after the Christmas holidays, amid fears of widespread teacher absences.

There had been a great deal of backlash, following the decision to reimpose mask-wearing in secondary schools, with Tory MPs, a government scientific adviser, charities and parents’ groups warning of the long-term impact of masks on children’s mental health.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, face masks will no longer be required anywhere, with the government deciding to “trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalise anyone who chooses not to wear one.”

Masks were first made compulsory in shops and on public transport in England in an effort to slow the spread of omicron on Nov 30, 2021.

Will pupils have to wear face masks in schools? 

The new rules, coming into force on Thursday 20 January, mean that staff, adult visitors and pupils in Year 7 and above are no longer required to wear face masks in classrooms.

It, however, remains with the Department for Education as to when the mandatory usage of face masks will be removed when moving around educational premises and outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas. 

Will bubbles return? 

The Government does not currently advise the re-implementation of bubbles in schools. This means that if a single pupil in a specific cohort tests positive for Covid, the entire class or year group does not need to be sent home to isolate. 

School assemblies, and break time mixing can still take place. 

However, the Government warns that schools should ensure that contingency plans cover the possibility that it may become necessary to reintroduce bubbles for a temporary period in order to reduce mixing between groups. 

“And decision to recommend the reintroduction of bubbles would not be taken lightly and would need to take account of the detrimental impact they can have on the delivery of education,” it says. 

What are the self-isolation rules regarding children going to school if their parents test positive?

During his announcement, Boris Johnson revealed his plans to end the legal requirement to self-isolate in the coming weeks – with the self-isolation regulations due to expire on March 24.

On Monday 17 January, the period of self-isolation was reduced to five full days with two negative tests – though the Prime Minister hopes that “there will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.”

Currently, all individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case only of the omicron variant will be required to self-isolate immediately, regardless of vaccination status and age. 

But for all other pupils, isolation rules remain unchanged. Children are not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with Covid, as long as they are not a suspected or confirmed case of omicron. They are instead urged to take PCR tests to confirm their Covid status. 

This article has been updated with the latest information following the news that Boris Johnson has scrapped Covid Plan B restrictions (January 19 2021)