The big news on Tuesday was that all students would return to full-time classes at public schools across NSW from next Monday.

Of course, that's old news for the many teachers and students here in Dubbo that have been back at full-time schooling since the start of term two, but is still a significant development in the state's emergence from the coronavirus hibernation.

A return to school on Monday is sooner than most parents and even students would have anticipated and some will, no doubt, be a little nervous about the prospect.

But the vast majority of those parents - and their children - will be counting down the hours until they can (hopefully) put home schooling behind them forever.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian made it clear the return to school would not be without its hiccups.

She fully expects to see schools closed temporarily when a coronavirus case is found or where there is a broader community outbreak.

But those cases will be the minority and, for the vast majority of students, life will return to something closer to normal on Monday.

This return to school is yet another reward for the community's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On the whole, the state's residents took very seriously the message to stay at home and the infection rate has now fallen to a level we could only have dreamed of one month ago.

Certainly, this has been a difficult period for many but is one we hope to look back on with some pride in years to come.

The threat is not yet over and health and government officials still warn of the likelihood of a second wave of infections as social distancing restrictions are eased.

Getting all students back to school will get more parents back to work, and bring us all a step closer to life after COVID-19.

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