South-west Victorian students to return to classroom from next week

It will be a staggered return, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino told regional media outlets on Thursday afternoon.

From Monday next week all Prep to Year 2 students and all final year students return to the classroom full-time, as they were at the end of Term Three.

From Wednesday October 6, once final year students have completed the GAT, all remaining Year 11 students will return to school full-time.

From Monday October 11, Term 2, all students will return back to the classroom at least part-time.

Years 3-4 and 8-9 will return on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Year 5-6, and Year 10, will attend on Thursdays and Fridays.

Year 7 students will return five days a week.

"This is an earlier return than metropolitan Melbourne," Minister Merlino said. "This is a positive step forward returning to live in a COVID-normal way."

The only exceptions will be the City of Latrobe and Mitchell Shire, which are currently under stay-at-home restrictions.

Minister Merlino told The Standard Warrnambool will still be included in the regional return to school despite the city's growing COVID-19 cluster.

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He said if cases continued to escalate in Warrnambool the public health team would consider bringing the city in line with metropolitan Melbourne's return to school.

"There will be targeted wastewater detection in place in areas of higher risk so we can get the earliest advice possible," he said.

"For you in Warrnambool the plan is: Prep, 1, 2s and final year students back next week, and then all other students back fulltime or part time in week two.

"The public health team remain concerned about the potential for for other outbreaks across rural and regional Victoria. If that's the case, then we'll deal with that on the local government area bases, just like we have with Latrobe and Mitchell."

The news has been met with confusion from some south-west residents.

"They couldn't go to school when we had zero cases now we are getting cases all of a sudden it's safe for kids to go to school? How the hell does that work?" reader Taleah Ledner asked.

Mr Merlino said it was a decision based on the Burnet Institute modelling.

"The Burnet modelling, and the broader public health advice looks at the epidemiology of the situation across the whole of Victoria," he said. "That's what the back to school plan is based on... and that's based on public health advice about making cautious steps where you limit movement of people.

"If we did an all at once across the whole the state of Victoria, that's a million students across 2200 schools, plus all the teachers and staff, plus all the parents and carers.

"The staggered nature for both settings - rural and regional and metropolitan Melbourne - is based on public health advice and is based on the modeling that has been provided.

"The response in Warrnambool and the response in other parts of rural and regional Victoria in terms of getting the jab has been nothing short of outstanding. It's the one thing that we can all do - get vaccinated as soon as you can.

"That's the best way to ensure that our kids stay at school face-to-face."

Students living in regional Victoria going to school metropolitan Melbourne or vice versa will be able to attend learning on-site learning with their year level.

"Students from metropolitan Melbourne will be able to go to school with their peers in regional Victoria," the minister said.

"For staff and final year students required to cross the metropolitan border, staff and final year students must be double vaccinated or be two-weekly tested."

The first delivery of the government's 51,000 air purifiers has arrived in Victoria to be installed in schools throughout Term Four to remove infectious particles from classrooms and prevent any potential spread of the virus.

All government and low-fee non-government schools across the state will also receive a grant of up to $25,000 to purchase shade sails, as part of a $60 million to create more outdoor learning spaces and make it easy for classes to be conducted outside as the warmer months approach.

School communities are leading the way when it comes to vaccinations. Already, 98 per cent of the 40,000 government school staff who have responded to a voluntary survey have received at least one dose of the vaccine - while single dose rates for 16-18 year olds are above 70 per cent, and above 40 per cent per cent for 12-15 year olds.

Masks are strongly encouraged for students as a way to ensure safety and limit the risk of transmission in school settings. Masks will remain mandatory for all students 12 and older, and all adults.

Schools have already implemented measures like staggered pick-up and drop-off times, QR code check-ins for any essential visitors, and as much physical distancing as is possible in classrooms - and when students return, will limit mixing among year levels and use large spaces like halls and gyms where possible.

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