The state government has revealed a plan for the resumption of face-to-face learning, but with Dubbo schools so heavily impacted by the COVID outbreak, a return date for local students is yet to be announced.
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There was also confirmation that the HSC would be delayed until November 9 under a "revised timetable and guidelines" to be released in early September.
COVID vaccinations for all school staff will be mandatory from November 8.
The staggered plan with "COVID safe settings" is:
- From October 25 - Kindergarten and Year 1
- From November 1 - Years 2, 6 and 11
- From November 8 - Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10
From October 25, Year 12 students will be able to return full-time.
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Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said it's not a "one size fits all", with the likelihood of another lockdown extension affecting a return to school date.
"At the moment the plan is a state-wide plan but there will be different scenarios for different places, I think including ours," Mr Saunders said.
"We're in a situation now where we've got over 300 cases and we're looking for ways to move forward.
"The Deputy Premier made it fairly clear Dubbo and this region is unlikely to be coming out of any stay-at-home-order by September 10...I guess that's signaling from him that we are probably in it for a longer term.
"With that comes maybe a change in the schooling.
"We'll look more closely at how that looks in collaboration obviously with teachers to make sure we get the best possible outcomes," Mr Saunders said.
According to the NSW Government, if stay-at-home orders in a region are lifted before October 25, all students in that area will return to face-to-face learning.
Alternatively, if cases increase "significantly" then learning from home will resume until case numbers drop.
With the disjointed past two years, Premier Berejiklian has vowed that the delay of HSC exams would "not disadvantage NSW students when applying to university".
Charles Sturt University Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor John Germov, said "There are many pathways into University and Charles Sturt is ready to support students during this challenging time."
One such pathway is CSU's Early Entry program, where students can apply before their exams. More information can be found on the CSU website.
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