Scotland’s education secretary has announced that all secondary school pupils over the age of 12 should wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas from Monday. On dedicated school transport, all children aged five and over should cover their faces, bringing it into line with guidance for public transport. The new “obligatory” guidance from John Swinney will apply from 31 August, but he underlined that it was not mandatory and that nobody should be sent home for not wearing a mask. On Monday, the Scottish government said it was consulting councils and teaching organisations about the measure after face coverings were recommended for secondary schools by the World Health Organization at the weekend. WHO said face coverings were useful where physical distancing between adults and pupils aged 12 and over was impossible, or in areas of high transmission. Confirming the timing of the new guidance, Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland the devolved government was “keeping pace with emerging advice”. He said while there would be individual exemptions for wearing face coverings, as with adults, it would not be up to individual headteachers to decide whether to apply the measure. Swinney said: “This comes on top of the existing guidance and information that we had received from our scientific advisers, who said there was a place for the use of face coverings at different stages in education “What we have essentially done in the light of the WHO guidance is strengthen that to say in those communal areas where it is difficult to deliver physical distancing, and also on school transport in line with the guidance on public transport, young people should be wearing face covering as well.” The move follows growing concerns from teaching unions about classroom safety. The GMB Scotland union has also called for on-site testing for every school following a survey of its members which found that two-thirds of school support staff do not feel safe at work. Eileen Prior, the executive director of the parents’ organisation Connect, said that many parents, young people and staff would welcome the announcement, but that guidance on use should be agreed with school communities. “Many parents, young people and staff will be reassured by this. However, it is really, really important that young people are supported in using face masks to make them as effective a barrier as possible. This should include information and support for young people who can’t wear masks for health reasons. “Masks or funding should be provided for families who cannot afford masks for their children; parents and young people will need consistent information about wearing, storing and washing masks, along with the crucial hygiene practices around them”.