The British government is advising that secondary school pupils wear masks when they reopen — but that they cannot be made compulsory. Meanwhile, children as young as five are being told to wear masks at school, a report claims.

“In line with public health guidance, we are also now advising that face coverings should be worn in secondary school classrooms as well as in further and higher education settings unless social distancing can be maintained,” the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, has said, adding: “Again, this is to help reduce transmission. The risk to children themselves is incredibly low. This is a temporary measure to support the return of schools and will be in place until Easter, when it is reviewed.”

But, according to operational guidance from the Department for Education (DoE) cited by the Telegraph , this advice should not be used as grounds to force masking on secondary school pupils, and “no pupil should be denied education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering”.

Some parents had been resistant to sending their children to school masked, with Molly Kingsley of the parents’ campaign group of parent UsForThem having said that, while it was “great that children will be back in school” from March 8th, “it should not be at any price – and certainly not at a price as grave as this.”

In a separate report , the Telegraph notes that primary schools, which teach children between the ages of 5 and 11, are now telling pupils to mask-up, as well. Citing several examples of schools punishing such policies, the rule seems to go against the Department for Education’s clear guidance that staff should wear masks in primary school when in proximity to other adults, this is not necessary when in a classroom with children and that “children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering”.

Boris Lays Out ‘Roadmap’ to Ending Lockdown by Summer, But Makes No Promises https://t.co/1BpLIjX7Da

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 22, 2021

The claim that masks will not be compulsory in schools calls into question the consistency of government policy on schools, in particular the arguably much more invasive plan to subject pupils to regular coronavirus tests.

It has previously been reported that pupils will be required to take four so-called lateral flow tests in the opening fortnight of the school term — three at school and one at home — with twice-weekly at-home tests thereafter, with results reported to teachers on a regular basis.

This somewhat draconian system appears somewhat in question after the latest reports on masking, however, with the Telegraph saying that Department for Education guidance describes the lateral flow tests as “voluntary”.

Confusingly, the DfE adds that “Pupils not undergoing testing should attend school in line with your phased return arrangements” but that “Schools will have discretion on how to test [pupils] over that week as they return to the classroom.”

‘Covid Status Certification’: Boris Signals U-Turn on Domestic Vaccine Passports for Pubs and Theatres https://t.co/5smvtfDOWs

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 24, 2021

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School days may be lengthened and holidays shortened to let pupils catch up, Gavin Williamson hinted today.

The Education Secretary confirmed he is looking at “the whole expanse” of options to help left-behind children.

He announced a short-term, £300m ‘recovery premium’ for catch-up schemes – worth about £6,000 for primaries and £22,000 for secondaries on average.

Mr Williamson stopped short of confirming his long-term plans as all pupils return to schools in England on March 8.

But questioned by Sky, he refused to rule out either lengthening the school day or shortening the summer break.

A government source indicated the two options would be considered by Sir Kevan Collins, the Government’s new catch up tsar, as part of a new review.

And asked about the two options, Mr Williamson said: “We’re looking at a whole range of different actions.

“What we wanted to do was give schools the extra resources they needed to be able to take action immediately.

“Some of the reforms we want to look at and sort of consult on will look at the whole expanse of what we can do in terms of helping children have extra teaching time, have extra opportunities.

“But this is an immediate response to give those children that extra boost.”

Asked a second time if the school day could be extended, Mr Williamson said: “We recently appointed Sir Kevan Collins in order to be able to look at how we do education recovery – a man who’s had so many years of experience.

“We’re looking at a whole range, a broad range of different options of how we can support schools, how we can support teachers, but most importantly how we can support children.”

Asked a third time if it could include lengthening the school day, he replied: “He will be looking at how we can boost and support children in a whole range of different manners.

“It’s not just about time in school, it’s about supporting teachers in terms of quality of teaching and how we can help them.”

It comes after reports earlier this month that classrooms could be kept open for another two weeks over the summer following months of home-schooling due to lockdowns.

One of the proposals being looked at would be running the summer term into August, as warmer weather would allow doors and windows to be left open to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The missed holiday could be tacked onto the autumn half term and the Christmas break.

Today’s £300 million cash boost will allow schools to run catch up programmes during the summer, with additional clubs and activities for struggling children.

It comes on top of another £300 million announced by Boris Johnson in January for tutoring programmes to help youngsters catch up after months away from the classroom.

The catch up programme will be topped up by a further £100 million for face-to-face summer schooling for secondary pupils.

All schools will reopen on March 8 after closing their doors to all pupils except the children of key workers and vulnerable kids.

Mr Johnson resisted calls from education unions for a staggered return, despite fears that allowing millions of children to return to the classroom at once could cause infections to surge.

Announcing the plans, Boris Johnson tweeted: “When schools re-open on 8 March, I want to make sure no child is left behind as a result of the learning they have lost over the past year.

“A new £700m package of catch-up funding will help teachers support their pupils as they return to the classroom.”

Mr Williamson said more detail on how pupils will be graded this year will be announced in the coming days.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We’re going to be literally in the next few days outlining the more granular detail of exactly what that looks like.

“As we’ve said many times before we’re not going to be running exams this year, it’s going to be based on teacher judgment.”

But Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green said: “This is not adequate and will not make up for the learning and time with friends that children have lost.

“There is no specific mention of supporting children’s mental health or wellbeing, which is fundamental to enabling their recovery from this pandemic.

“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak spent more on the failed Eat Out to Help Out Scheme than they will on our children’s recovery. This package amounts to just 43p per day for each child.”

Mr Williamson told Times Radio: “This isn’t just about tutoring but tutoring is a really important element of it.

“We’re going to continue to work with schools to really get them involved in this tutoring scheme.

“Because the evidence shows that actually, a child that has missed out in terms of some of their learning, by having over a 12 week period, an extra two hours small group tutoring, that can help them catch up on between three and five months worth of lost learning. So it really delivers results. So working with schools is a really important element of delivering that.”

TRISHA Goddard says she used to stuff loo roll in her mouth to stop herself crying at school as she was racially abuse d.

The 63-year-old opens up about her traumatic childhood on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.

Host Piers told viewers she was called a Golliwog and the N word all the time.

Trisha said: “I got really good at my primary school going in the loo, you get toilet paper and you stuff it in your mouth so they don’t hear you crying.

“Because if they hear you crying while they’re chanting the N-word outside, then you’ll get it worse.”

Piers said: ” I mean, this is really tough for any young girl, wasn’t it?”

Recalling one brutal incident, Trisha said: “I remember the worst time was in the canteen and a boy – we used to get our meals on a tray – and he went like that with his fists [hits the underside of the tray in the air].

“So all the food flew off the tray and everybody laughed. And I was so embarrassed and I picked up everything and I did the Oliver Twist thing.

“And I went back to the dinner lady and said, Excuse me… No. And she said, you’ve had. And everyone was laughing.

“So I got up. I ran out and I sat on a step and I was crying and crying. I must have been nine or 10 crying and crying.

“And I can see this teacher now, blonde hair, goofy teeth. He sat down next to me and he said, ‘you’ve got to understand. You’ve got to toughen up. You’ve got to toughen up. We people in this country, we don’t want people like you here. So if you’re going to stay here, you’re going to have to toughen up.’

“When I was nine years old and my teacher, who watched me get hit, was telling me this was my life. I thought I’d failed. I thought I wasn’t being English enough.

“I remember that distinct moment because I thought, no one’s going to look out for you for the rest of your life.

“You are in charge of you. I never told my parents because I thought I would be letting mum down.”

Trisha became the victim of more racism last year when Bo’ Selecta! comic Leigh Francis publicly apologised for his portrayal of Trisha Goddard on the show.

He impersonated her by wearing a rubber mask that exaggerated her nose and lips on his hit C4 show in the early 2000s.

She hoped it would end the years of racist abuse she and her family have endured.

But instead, the presenter and talk show host was bombarded with vile trolling which left her telling her daughter Billie: “I’m sick of being black.”

SCHOOLS won’t have to enforce face masks or carry out regular testing on pupils, it was revealed today.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain this morning, education minister Nick Gibb said twice-weekly testing will not be compulsory for pupils to go to school in England but remains “highly recommended”.

With pupils returning to schools in March 8, Gibb confirmed a “no test, no school” policy is not in place but said he hopes the majority of students will volunteer to test themselves at home twice a week before coming in to school.

“No, they’re not compulsory but we highly recommend it, it’s everybody doing everything we can to identify asymptomatic cases of Covid , helping to reduce the transmission,” he said.

“The first three tests will be taken in the school that will show the students how to do it most effectively and it’s the students themselves that will do it at home with supervision by their parents,” he added.

Meanwhile, normal summer exams have been ditched and teachers will instead decide what results students get, with the help of voluntary “mini” subject tests.

And already falling covid rates are expected to tumble even faster after the first large-scale peer-reviewed study of the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine found a second dose dramatically boosted protection.

The study by Israel’s Clalit Research Institute was carried out in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University and published in the highly-respected New England Journal of Medicine earlier this week.

It found two Pfizer doses reduced symptomatic covid by a whopping 94% and severe illness by 92%, while one dose reduced symptomatic covid by 57% and severe disease by 62% three weeks after the jab was given.

Follow our coronavirus live blog below for the very latest news and updates on the pandemic …

LAST month it was revealed that Harry Styles, 25, is dating the Cowboys and Aliens actress Olivia Wilde, 35.

Wilde who was married to Jason Sudeikis, 45, the father of her two children, has reportedly left the Horrible Bosses star devastated.

Harry Styles has form in dating older women: from the late Caroline Flack, who was 14 years his senior to Taylor Swift, who is five years older than him.

Such a penchant for older women is something that Hally Hakeem , 23, also shares.

He says he has dated women aged 25 – 52 and nowadays he prefers women who are older than him.

“There are less games with them. In bed and out of it they tell you what you want. They don’t mess you around either.”

The teaching assistant who works at a special needs school and lives in London describes himself as single.

He explains he can’t remember a time when he has gone out with a woman the same age as him. His interest was first sparked as a teenager.

He says: “I started dating at 14 and my girlfriend was 18. When I was 20 I started seeing women in their late 20s.

“I have always been interested in older women. I feel I get along with them easier and have more in common.”

They know how to talk about their feelings – they have a good outlook on the world and a lot of wisdom to share

Hally Hakeem

Hally reckons that women his age aren’t as open minded and experienced under the sheets or when it comes to maintaining coupledom.

“In the bedroom girls my age don’t really know what to do, whereas older women have really opened my eyes and taught me things I’d never learn elsewhere. It’s win-win they have a good time and so do I. But I can also use that experience to satisfy other women.

“They know how to talk about their feelings – they have a good outlook on the world and a lot of wisdom to share.

“I am someone who knows how to listen to what they have to say too.”

Hally says the oldest woman he has dated was 52 – they saw one another for a few months when he was in his early 20s.

“I like to say we “entertained” one another and I came off better with the relationship because she was incredible.

“It might be a cliché but she was a total MILF. She’s a good looking woman with a sweet personality. Nowadays the older the women are, the better they look after themselves.

“While our relationship only lasted a few months it was an experience which taught me a lot in bed. She really opened my eyes.”

Hally says it’s “50-50” who approaches who and he meets just as many women in real life as he does on the apps.

“I’m a confident person. If I see an attractive woman and I’m drawn to her then I will ask for her number. The worst that can happen is she will say no.

“Outside of corona I’d meet women when I was out at with friends or in a club. Nowadays it is mainly via the apps.

“When women discover my age I either get, ‘Oh you’re just a baby!’ or they ask me if I’m okay about their age.

“I don’t put any pressure on them. I understand it can be their first time with a younger guy.

“But if I have matched with them online then it’s because I like what I see – I don’t care about the numbers on a birthday card.”

Women in their 30s and 40s are always at the gym. MILFs are incredible to be with.

Hally Hakeem

Hally admits a lot of women he dates do have kids – and some are around his age.

“One woman I met while coaching some kids for sport. We spotted one another after the session. I told her I found her attractive.

“We exchanged numbers and dated for a while. We had loads in common – we both liked going to the gym and working out together. She liked going to coffee shops which wasn’t really my thing but we did it anyway.

“She would send the kids to her mum’s in the week so we could spend intimate time together.”

Hally reckons it isn’t an issue when women have kids around his age because most older women are savvy enough to keep family life away from their sex life.

He says: “Some have had kids my age or a year or two younger but they’re not interested in introducing me to them. They prefer to keep things separate – which is fine by me.

“I don’t worry about things like stretchmarks or women who have breastfed their kids.

“Women in their 30s and 40s are always at the gym. MILFs are incredible to be with.

“Outside of bed I’m a good listener. I was brought up by a single mum and lots of these women are in the same boat. I get it and they know they can sound off without it going any further.”

Hally says the longest relationship he had was with a women in her late 20s when he was in his teens.

“We were together for a year and I learnt so much. It might sound as though I was too young but it was real enough to me.”

When it comes to splitting the bills Hally reckons he pays his way – most of the time.

“There was one woman I saw when I was 20 and she was 33. She paid for us to go to spas and hotels together. We had good fun and she’d take care of me but I had to end it with her. She wanted to get serious and I wasn’t ready to settle down.”

Hally believes his romantic future lies with an older woman.

“If I wanted a long term relationship with one I know I could have one tomorrow. But I’m single – for now.

“There are less games and time wasted with older women – they know what they want. They are very clear about whether they want someone to date or have some fun with.

“What guy wouldn’t want to be with a woman like that?”

In other real life news, this gran boasted about her “amazing sex” with her Tunisian fiance who is 20 years her junior.

And this woman had “mind-blowing” sex with her toyboy before he dumped her for being too old.

Plus this gran, 86, separated from her Egyptian toyboy says “you are in my heart forever.”