Coronavirus: Kings Monkton head speaks out over face masks
A private school head teacher thinks pupils have been discriminated against by a Welsh Government refusal to supply face masks.
Paul Norton from Cardiff's Kings Monkton called it a breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In a letter to Education Minister Kirsty Williams, he said he was "saddened and shocked". But the government said it was for parents or independent schools to provide masks if deemed necessary. It has given £2.3m to state secondary schools and colleges to provide face masks for students. Mr Norton, the principal and proprietor of Kings Monkton - a school for three to 18-year-olds of around 300 pupils - believes they too should receive support to provide them. "We are in a pandemic and this is a health issue," he said. "We have additional needs pupils who are funded by the local authorities, so this is not a private funding issue. I believe the Welsh Government is reneging on its duty of care." It is up to schools and councils to decide if face coverings are used in local authority-run schools. While they are recommended for children aged 11 and up in communal areas indoors where social distancing is difficult, and on school buses, they are not compulsory. No private schools in Wales have been provided with face masks and a spokesman for the Welsh Independent Schools Council said while its member would appreciate support, it understands ministers have to manage resources. However, Mr Norton said: "As this is a global health issue, and not an educational one, I am writing to ask for clarification and an explanation on how this discriminatory behaviour came about and why children from independent schools are being neglected from receiving this health related provision." Quoting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, he said the best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect children. 'Local circumstances' He also said every child has the right to the best possible health. However, a Welsh Government spokesman said: "The decision on whether face coverings should be worn in independent schools for learners over 11 will be for the proprietor or the governing body, depending on their risk assessment and local circumstances. "It will be for independent schools or parents to provide face coverings for pupils, if the school decides this is a requirement."