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Lots of secondary school students in England are currently required to wear masks in their classrooms if they're unable to properly social distance.

Face coverings also have to worn in communal areas like corridors, and on school buses and other forms of public transport.

Last month, education secretary Gavin Williamson announced that face masks would remain in English secondary schools until at least the 17 May when lockdown rules are further eased in line with the government's roadmap.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said it plans to remove the requirement on secondary school pupils and staff to wear masks in class as part of the next stage of lifting the lockdown.

Last week, schools minister Nick Gibb also said he hoped that pupils would no longer have to wear face masks in class in secondary schools and colleges in England from mid-May, depending on "the data".

However, a group of scientists and unions are calling for the masks to remain in secondary schools until at least 21 June when all lockdown rules are expected to be lifted in line with the government's current plans. They say face coverings should continue to be worn by pupils and staff members to prevent negative "consequences" on the health of pupils and parents.

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The group has written a joint letter to Mr Williamson calling for masks to stay in schools. It's said face coverings "can reduce transmission in schools" allowing children to "continue in-person education without disruption".

"Evidence both in the UK and worldwide does not suggest harm of general use to either adults or children, and whilst we acknowledge that it may be more challenging to communicate while wearing masks, and accept that some children and adults may not be able to wear them, it is very clear that the benefits far outweigh any potential risks at the current time," the letter states.

"We support mask wearing in schools at this time, with exemptions for children who cannot wear them. Clear face coverings may aid communication. We call on the government to provide clear masks for staff and school children, where needed, in order to aid communication and we support exemptions for children who cannot wear masks."

The letter, from five unions representing teachers and support staff, as well as scientists, public health experts and parents, highlights concerns about the risks of people developing something called long Covid, which is when people suffer from the effects of the coronavirus for a long time after they've had it.

However, at this moment in time, the government is still planning to lift the requirement for face masks in secondary schools later this month.

"It is expected that face coverings will no longer be required in classrooms at step three of the road map, which will be no earlier than May 17," said a DfE spokeswoman.

"The lifting of further restrictions at step three will follow a review of the latest data on infection and vaccination rates, and all other school safety measures, including regular asymptomatic testing, will remain in place."