Peterborough school children urged to wear face coverings on public transport

EJonathan Lewis, Director of Education for Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils has reminded students that it is important, now more than ever, that they comply with the law and wear a face covering when travelling on school transport.

Mr Lewis said: “Since the beginning of term, we, as the Local Authority for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, proactively implemented a new policy at the start of term encouraging all our students to wear a face covering when travelling on school transport.

“It is now a legal requirement that children aged 11 and over wear a face covering when travelling on school transport, unless they are exempt from doing so for health or disability reasons.

“I would like to thank our students who are following the rules by wearing a face covering, however I am concerned to hear reports of some students who are not following this rule. The message to our students remains clear: Nobody is immune from coronavirus, so it is crucial that you play your part and wear a face covering on school transport to help keep everybody safe.

“I urge all parents and carers to help us remind young people to follow the rules to help control the spread of the virus.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Councils urges students to adhere to the following policies:

· All pupils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough aged 11 and older to wear a face covering provided by their parent or carer when travelling on Home to school transport, unless they have a medical reason not to wear one.

· Face coverings should be in place, covering the nose and mouth, as the pupil boards the vehicle and for the whole of their journey to and from school. They should only remove the face covering once they have left the vehicle.

· The driver has the authority to refuse permission to travel for any who does not have a face covering, and who is not exempt from using one.

· If a child has a medical reason which means they are unable to wear a face covering, they may wish to wear a badge which shows they are exempt. Templates for making an exemption badge are available on the Government’s face coverings webpages.