“I usually do it with two of my friends:one’s in year 2 and one’s in year 4,” Archie said. “I’m feeling a little nervous about going back to school,but I’m happy that I get to see my friends again.”
Archie will find an impressive accumulation of cicada shells waiting for him this week - students have been mostly absent from school grounds since the end of June - although he won’t be able to run around with all his playmates just yet.
Bronwen Morgan with her two sons,Archie,6,and Oscar,4,on the day before school returns.James Alcock
Kindergarten and year 1 are the first Sydney students to return on Monday,as well as year 12,because they are still learning the foundation skills of reading,writing and basic numeracy,and the least able to learn independently. The remaining year groups will join them one week later.
Groups of students will be separated at all times under COVID-safe to reduce mingling and COVID-19 transmission. But even though school won’t be back to its usual settings,many experts and parents believe it’s the right compromise to get children back to learning and their social lives after a long break.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet accepted there were mixed feelings ahead of Monday but said returning to school was essential for children’s mental health. “I know there will be nervousness,but also lots of excitement about kids going back to school. Many kids have not seen their friends for a very long time,” he said.
The NSW government also announced it would extend its tutoring program,which was introduced after last year’s lockdown,for another year at a cost of $383 million. The program involves small-group tutoring for students who’ve slipped behind due to the extended period of remote learning.
“Early insights from the ongoing evaluation of the program show that students are bouncing back thanks to the intensive tutoring delivered through the program,and we are committed to helping them do so again next year,” Mr Perrottet said.
There is conflicting evidence on how much students fall behind due to remote learning. Assessments undertaken in NSW when students returned after seven weeks of home learning last year showed some had slipped behind by two to three months,but this year’s NAPLAN results show little impact. No evaluation of last year’s program has been made public.
Archie’s mother Bronwen Morgan said he had kept up with his lessons,but he was missing out on developing his social skills while at home with her and his younger brother all the time. “I think there’s a certain stimulation you get at school that you don’t get at home,” she said.
“I wouldn’t want the lockdown to go on any longer. He’s still learning about people and how to interact with people. On one hand,he’s disappointed he won’t get to see the bigger kids. But he’s so looking forward to it.”
Chris Maher,a senior vaccine adviser to UNICEF Australia,said he understood some parents might be anxious about sending their children back,particularly those under 12 who cannot be vaccinated.
“But I think the risks to children going back to school now are really quite small. Increasingly the general population is getting better vaccinated,case numbers are going in the right direction - that reduces the overall risk kids are going to face,” he said.
“They’re obviously so much better off having that[school] environment for their education and their social needs - it far outweighs any risk that may exist from COVID disease.”
Mr Maher said children were not going into an uncontrolled environment,either. “They’re going to be surrounded by vaccinated adults who are also going to be masked. It is extremely important that the education sector keeps following those basic infection control rules.”
High school students will also be wearing masks all day,unless they’re eating or exercising,and primary school students have been strongly advised to follow suit.
Archie’s kindergarten teacher has been helping students practice wearing masks over Zoom in the lead-up to Monday,so they get used to the feeling.
Mr Perrottet acknowledged there would be difficulties with young children and masks,which is why they were not compulsory. “Anyone who’s got young kids knows how hard it is to keep a mask on a kindergarten child… we need to make common-sense decisions,” he said.
Ninety per cent of the state’s public school teachers are now vaccinated,Mr Perrottet said.
”Obviously we have to manage cases,that is exactly what we’re doing,but we also have to manage the mental health of our young children. Getting kids back into the classroom as safely and quickly as possible is very important for them. There will be some challenges and difficulties,but I think we’re ready to go.“
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights..