PUPILS should no longer be required to wear face masks in school when the new term starts, the Scottish Conservatives have said. 

The party said youngsters "deserve a return to normality as soon as possible".

It previously called for children to be made exempt from self-isolation rules before schools return.

Minutes of a meeting of the Scottish Government Advisory Sub-Group on Education from late June show it has discussed removing the requirement for face masks in classrooms. 

The minutes read: "There was general agreement that face coverings should be removed in classrooms when possible, perhaps once all school staff have received their second dose of the vaccine, but that face coverings should remain in use in communal areas."

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Oliver Mundell said: “Young people have already faced a year of upheaval and disrupted education. 

"They deserve a return to normality as soon as possible.

“The success of Scotland and the UK’s vaccine scheme means that face masks in schools are no longer a necessity, as the government’s advisers have suggested.

“Scotland’s schools must be at the front of the queue for the relaxation of restrictions. 

"Protecting young people’s education should be a top priority for the SNP Government.

“We firmly believe the public health data now supports a return to normality in schools by removing the requirement for face masks and ending the need for children to self-isolate for 10 days.

“Parents, pupils and teachers are waiting for answers on what rules will be in place. 

"We should put restoring Scotland’s schools first and give children back a normal learning experience again.”