NSW school students will begin to return to classrooms in a staggered approached with targeted health measures, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said.
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The initial weeks of term two from April 27 will look much like term one with the majority of students still learning from home, but the Premier has confirmed the end goal is to have all students back by the end of the term.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said initially, only about a quarter of students will be back on campus each day from May 11.
"We will be having a managed return during term two," she said.
"[School staff's] innovation and the work they have done to move learning to at-home and online has been phenomenal.
"Now it's time to turn our minds to getting kids back into the classroom.
"From week three, students will begin returning one day a week. We will build that up throughout the term, with the goal to have children back as normal for term three.
"There will be flexibility and discretion on a school level as to how they implement this.
"We want them to make sure they're having about a quarter of students on campus each day, but how they break that group up will be a matter for them."
Ms Mitchell said schools were being asked to keep family groups together.
The NSW Premier urged that schools would be safe.
"If your child has any symptoms, please keep them at home," Ms Berejiklian said.
"But the extra cleaning, the initial fewer students in classroom, staggered drop-off and pick-up, all these things will add to making everyone safe.
"Schools will have capacity for temperature checks, if they think that's appropriate.
"We know the highest risk of transmission is between adults.
"Obviously we ask all teachers to practise social distancing when they're engaging with peers and when they're engaging with parents.
"I'm proud of the fact to the day before Good Friday ... schools continued to accept everyone who came through the door.
"If you're a parent that has no option but to send your child to school, that's fine.
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"Schools remain open, the public system will accept anyone who walks through the front gate."
Ms Berejiklian said some small regional schools might be able to welcome everyone back in one go.
"They may be able to accommodate everybody from day one," she said.
"But generally-speaking, we have schools ranging in size.
"Your child or children will have about a day of face-to-face teaching ... hopefully by term three, if things are going well ... we'll be able to have all children back full-time."
Ms Berejiklian said there was always a chance a student or teacher may contract the virus - with teachers to be given prioritised testing - and stressed the arrangements could range.
Representatives of the public and independent school systems will be meeting today to discuss how the return of students will work.
"Just a handful of people doing the wrong thing can result in a spread, in a cluster forming, and all this hard work going to waste," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Keep doing what you're doing.
"We know this transition starts from May 11, and we'll be able to monitor how we're going across the board."
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