The director of NAHT Cymru Director Laura Doel has said that it is unacceptable that school leaders are expected to shoulder the responsibility of deciding if face coverings are required in schools. 

Her comments come as the Welsh Government announced that it would be left up to schools and councils to decide if face coverings should used in Welsh schools.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are mandating the use of face coverings in secondary school corridors and communal areas and they will be required in secondary school corridors in parts of England under local lockdown but ministers are not mandating their use in Welsh schools.

A joint statement by Health Minister Vaughan Gething and Education Minister Kirsty Williams,said: "We will amend our operational guidance for schools and FE (further education colleges) to require settings and local authorities to undertake risk assessments of their estates to determine if face coverings should be recommended for their staff and young people in communal areas.

"This will also include school and college transport."

It said that the chief medical officer Frank Atherton had recommended face coverings "for all members of the public over 11 years in indoor settings in which social distancing cannot be maintained, including schools and school transport” but said face-to-face teaching without coverings can continue.

First Minister Mark Drakeford told a Senedd meeting there was a "part to be played" for face masks in Welsh secondary schools in areas that see rising cases of coronavirus, and where buildings do not allow pupils to move around safely.

Teaching unions have reacted angrily to the news with Ms Doel saying that headteachers are not medical experts should not put them in the position of having to decide on whether students donn masks.

“Everyone wants to see pupils back in class, with their teachers and their classmates. School leaders and their teams have worked hard over the summer playing their part to get schools ready for the start of the Autumn term,” she said.

“We need the Welsh Government to demonstrate they are in control of this situation. There needs to be absolute clarity about who is required to wear face coverings and when they need to be worn, this should include clear information in regards to pupils, teachers and parents.

“If the government leaves this decision-making to individual schools or Local Authorities we will once again we will see a mixed economy across Wales, with different schools having different measures in place which will be unsettling and potentially unsafe for pupils, parents and staff alike. This will portray a message of confusion not confidence in returning to school.

“If face coverings become mandatory in certain schools, then they will have to purchase many thousands of masks. This will undoubtedly come at an additional and unforeseen cost and may result in shortages as demand increases. The government needs to guarantee that enough masks will be available to schools and that the costs of getting hold of them are met in full or run the very real risk that schools will not reopen next week,” she said.