Upper Clutha schools are preparing to reopen their doors to teachers and students as the country moves towards alert level three next week.

Under the alert level, students in years 11 and above will continue with distance learning. Those in years 10 and under will be able to return to school if their parent or guardian deems it necessary. 

While explaining what education will look like in the near future at a media briefing yesterday (April 21), Minister of Education Chris Hipkins stressed that most children should continue to learn from home. 

“My message to all New Zealanders is: ‘If you can keep your kids at home, please keep your kids at home’,” he said. 

Schools will open for students whose parents are working but this should be limited to small numbers to maintain small bubbles at school. The vast majority of students are expected to remain at home, Chris said.

Minister of education Chris Hipkins explains how education will work during alert level three. PHOTO: Supplied

“Distance learning is going to be with us for some time,” Chris said. “For at least the next three weeks.”

Most schools will open for teacher-only day next Tuesday (April 28), with students attending from Wednesday (April 29). Some schools may need a little extra time to reopen, Chris said. 

Wanaka Primary School (WPS) principal Wendy Bamford said preparations for reopening have begun this week, so far including cleaning and ascertaining how many staff and students will be back at school next week.

She is hoping most families will do as asked and keep their children at home for distance learning if they can. She said she’s received emails from some parents saying they are extending their bubbles to include family members or carers who can be at home with the children while they return to work “which is ideal”.

At Wanaka Primary School, a number of staff members will need to stay home under alert level three, Wendy said. 

“We have teachers with their own children or with compromised health circumstances who will stay at home and assist with the online learning programme.” 

WPS parents will be asked to indicate in an online survey how many children might attend school, Wendy said. Once she has those figures she will be able to decide how many teachers will be needed at school and how many can remain at home.

Mount Aspiring College assures families that students will continue to learn, whether in the classroom or at home. PHOTO: Wanaka App

She said all her staff had been “amazing” and really supportive under alert level four; feedback from families and students had been positive too. 

Wendy said reopening the schools under alert level three will pose some challenges, such as how staff can ensure physical distancing. 

Teachers should be fine with 10 five-year-olds in a bubble in the classroom “but how we’re going to keep the bubble going during break times when the children will be getting rid of some energy will be more challenging,” she said.

Mount Aspiring College (MAC) has sent information out to families about how to proceed under the new alert level and assuring them of learning programmes and safety.

“If you choose not to send your child to school they will not miss out on learning and will continue to be supported from a distance,” MAC said in a statement to families. “If you do choose to send your child to school, please be assured we will be following strict health and safety measures including social distancing and staggered breaks.”

While some early childhood centres (ECEs) plan to reopen next Wednesday, others, including the country’s largest provider the Early Childhood Council, are recommending ECE doors remain firmly shut over fears of spreading COVID-19. 

Chris said he would not set a “hard and fast rule” about the reopening of ECEs, where he acknowledged keeping children apart “isn’t going to be possible”. 

The ministry would work with concerned ECEs on a case-by-case basis, he said. 

The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has repeatedly said in recent days that transmission of COVID-19 among children is extremely low. With small bubble arrangements, and effective contact tracing, he was confident in recommending education facilities reopen in a limited capacity.

For tertiary education, moving to alert level three means remote work will continue. Where that is not possible, some facilities may reopen with strict measures in place. 

For schools, students and families, this is an unfamiliar scenario, and flexibility will be important. “This is not a normal situation and we will need to be doing things differently,” Chris said. 

He noted that New Zealand was fortunate to be one of “a handful of countries” in the enviable position of being able to transition out of lockdown.

For more information about how education changes under alert level three, Chris said it is best to contact your education provider directly. 

“Providers are contacting their staff and students directly with more information,” he said. “They should be the first port of call for parents and students with questions.”