Advice that Children Should Use Face Coverings in Classrooms

The request was refused by Department for Education.

Dear Department for Education,

Background

In May 2021, in an FOI request I sought to have placed in the public domain the information/evidence underpinning the earlier decision by the Department for Education to impose the extended wear of face coverings on secondary children.

See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...

I asked the Department to "provide all briefing documents provided to, or communications with, DfE ministers supporting the decision to advise the use of face coverings in classrooms from 8 March 2021".

This request was refused on 1 July 2021 citing section 35 and section 40 as exemptions.
The request submitted in May 2021 was refused by the Department for Education's on the basis that a "disclosure of the withheld information would be likely to have a potentially corrosive effect on good Government and lead to less fully informed decision making"

New Document Released

On 5 January 2022, an ‘Evidence Summary’ was released to support your decision to mask secondary students all day at school.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...

This document is a blatant example of policy-based evidence-making and does not pass cursory review by anyone with basic statistical skills.

Information Now Sought under this FOI Request

Please provide the briefing documents provided to, or communications with, DfE ministers supporting the decision to advise the use of face coverings in classrooms from January 2022.

Yours faithfully,

CHP Gillow

MINISTERS, Department for Education

1 Attachment

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Other enquiries

 

Thank you for contacting the Department for Education. If you are
contacting us about coronavirus (COVID-19) you can find advice and
guidance on [2]GOV.UK. This includes [3]guidance for educational settings
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References

Visible links
1. https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/upload...
2. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear Mr Gillow, 

Thank you for your request for information, which was received by the
Department for Education (DfE) on 13 January 2022. A summary of your
request is as follows:

Please provide the briefing documents provided to, or communications with,
DfE ministers supporting the decision to advise the use of face coverings
in classrooms from January 2022.

I have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(“the Act”).

The department holds this information, but it is being withheld under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. The exemption which applies to this
information is s35(1)(a) which allows for the withholding of information
if it relates to the formulation or development of government policy.

In applying section 35(1)(a), the Act requires that the department
balances the public interest in withholding the information against the
public interest in disclosing the information. I have set out below the
particular factors which the department considered when deciding where the
public interest lay:

* It is acknowledged that there is a general public interest in
releasing this information because of the need for there to be open
and transparent government.
* There is a general public interest in being able to see if Ministers
are being briefed effectively on the key areas of policy the
Department is taking forward.
* The policy on COVID-19 mitigation and protective measures in education
settings has remained live and dependent upon scientific evidence
could be subject to further change.
* The department takes the view that the section 35 exemption is
intended to ensure that the possibility of public exposure does not
deter from full, candid and proper deliberation of policy formulation
and development, including the exploration of all options.
* Government decision making needs to be based on the best advice
available and a full consideration of the options. It is in the public
interest that the formulation of government policy and government
decision making can proceed in the self-contained space needed to
ensure that it is done well. 
* It is the department's view that the public interest in non-disclosure
outweighs the public interest in disclosure in this case.

Since your correspondence was received, you may be aware that the face
coverings policy position in schools has changed.  From 4th January, we
recommended that face coverings should be worn in classrooms and teaching
spaces where pupils and students in year 7 and above are educated. We have
been clear that this was a temporary measure, and since 20th January we
are no longer recommending that face coverings are worn in classrooms and
teaching spaces. From 27 January, face coverings are no longer advised for
pupils, staff and visitors in communal areas.  From 27 January, staff and
pupils should follow wider [1]advice on face coverings outside of school,
including on transport to and from school.

I thought it would be helpful to signpost you to some publicly available
information, studies and findings on face coverings, as well as links to
copies of meeting papers, accompanying papers and meeting minutes: 

* An expert panel statement, informed by evidence and expertise, on the
role of face coverings in mitigating COVID-19 
transmission.[2]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
* The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) critically assess and review the
current global evidence on a range of risk mitigations, including face
coverings, in publicly available evidence reviews, the most recent of
which was updated in November 2021 and can be found at the following
link: [3]PHE document (koha-ptfs.co.uk).
* The World Health Organisation (WHO) published advice on the use of
face coverings for children in the community in the context of
COVID-19. This can be found at the following link: [4]Advice on the
use of masks for children in the community in the context of COVID-19
            (who.int)
* UKHSA paper published 19 August 2020. The paper summarises evidence on
what is known about susceptibility to infection and transmission
dynamics in children. The focus of the paper is on implications of
findings for educational settings in England.  [5]PHE: SARS-CoV2
susceptibility and transmission risk in children: an overview of
current evidence from PHE surveillance work, 19 August 2020
(publishing.service.gov.uk)
* UKHSA paper published April 2021: The purpose of the paper is a rapid
review to identify and examine evidence on COVID-19 transmission
within school settings and the effects of school-based interventions
in reducing transmission. [6]PHE document (koha-ptfs.co.uk).
* A scientific report on modelling the potential impact of mask use in
schools and society on Covid-19 control in the UK has been produced
and published by University College London; Oxford University; Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation; University of Sydney; University of
Edinburgh; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; University of
Copenhagen; Burnet Institute, Melbourne; University of
Sheffield; Great Ormond St, Institute of Child Health. This can be
viewed at the following link: [7]Modelling the potential impact of
mask use in schools and society on COVID-19 control in the UK |
Scientific Reports (nature.com)
* The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) publish
scientific evidence supporting the government response to coronavirus
(COVID-19). The most recent evidence that was reviewed in January 2022
and December 2021 can be found at the following link:
[8]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
You will also be able to access earlier evidence.
* SAGE meeting papers, accompanying papers and minutes of meetings held
in January 2022 and December 2021 are available here:
[9]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number (2022-0001583) in any future
communications. 
 
If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter. Your complaint will be considered by an
independent review panel, which were not involved in the original
consideration of your request.   
 
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Yours sincerely,
 
FOI Officer
DfE COVID Response Measures
Outbreak Resilience Unit
Department for Education

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
3. https://ukhsa.koha-ptfs.co.uk/cgi-bin/ko...
4. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/...
5. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
6. https://ukhsa.koha-ptfs.co.uk/cgi-bin/ko...
7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-0...
8. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
9. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...