Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, 24 April 2020
North West school closures
All Government and Catholic schools in the North West of Tasmania will remain closed, with Term 2 now commencing on the 4th of May due to the additional restrictions in place as a response to manage COVID-19 in the region.
These restrictions also apply to students and school staff who live on the North West, but may attend an out of area school to learn or work.
While teachers will continue to prepare for Term 2 learning from home, for Government School students this effectively remains a four day extension of the current holiday period.
The Government will continue to monitor the current situation and review measures in place as informed by Public Health advice.
While there is evidence we are getting on top of the outbreak in the North West region, an additional week of restrictions will help to turbo-charge testing and ensure there is no community transmission.
I recognise that the closure of schools in the North West could cause some anxiety for students and their families, particularly those in their senior secondary years.
Years 11 and 12 are very important years of study, so there will be some learning support for these students, with their teachers making contact with them early next week to work through this process.
For all other Department of Education students, the Learning at Home website provides resources and ideas for learning at home, should any parent or carer want their children to continue with learning in some form next week.
Catholic schools will be in contact with their families with respect to their Learning@Home options.
Parents of students at Independent schools should contact their school for further information.
For all other Government schools in Tasmania outside of the North West region, Term 2 will still commence on the 28th of April for the rest of the state.
Term 2 in Tasmanian Government Schools
The Tasmanian Government is committed to supporting our learners and staff when Term 2 commences for Tasmanian Government Schools on Tuesday 28 April
Keeping children at home and supporting their learning where possible is the best thing we can do to support Tasmania’s response to COVID-19.
However, school sites will be open for students who cannot be supervised or supported to learn from home, for example due to parents or carers’ work commitments.
Students’ teachers will provide parents with learning activities and tasks, which have been designed for the individual student and adjusted for the home environment.
We do not expect parents or carers to be experts, it will be teachers who continue to lead student learning by providing the appropriate learning activities
A new Wellbeing check-in tool will be available to allow teachers to ask students a series of questions about how they are finding learning at home.
This provides real time evidence of how our students are going and includes questions about the student’s mood, concerns and learning activity.
At the start of Term 2, principals will be provided with guidelines for recording student participation in learning and if appropriate, attendance at school during COVID19.
We want to understand whether students are participating in learning and know where we need to reach out and provide any additional support required.
I am confident we are prepared for Term 2 and while it may look different, students will continue to learn and get the support they need from their teachers and their school.
If parents have any questions they can visit the Department’s Learning from Home website, or view the Learning from Home fact sheet released today.
As announced this morning, North West schools will remain closed until the 4th of May due to the additional restrictions in place as a response to manage COVID-19 in the region. http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/
Media release – Josh Willie MLC, Shadow Education Minister, 24 April 2020
Labor backs North West school closures
· Labor backs clear messages from Government
· Keep your children home, that is the best place they can be
· Commitment to equity of home and school learning environments commended
Labor has welcomed the Government’s decision to keep schools in the North West closed due to the threat of COVID-19.
Shadow Education Minister, Josh Willie, said Labor has been waiting for the Government to clarify its position on schools and was relieved to hear direct statements made by Premier Gutwein today.
“For the rest of the state the message is clear: children able to be provided education support from home should stay home,” Mr Willie said.
“Principals, teachers and schools are still responsible for educating students and it is their job to lead learning from home and support families whenever needed.
“We recognise that there are essential workers, like health workers, who cannot facilitate at-home learning and still require the provision of face to face teaching and learning for their children.
“We also recognise that some vulnerable families and students may require the ongoing support of schools during this time and that should continue.
“There has been a power of work undertaken by school staff and the Department of Education to ensure children and young people are provided with quality learning opportunities during this time.
“It is encouraging to see a commitment to equity with regards school and home learning environments. Right across Tasmania the dedication to young people and their futures is unwavering.
“We thank parents, carers, students and teachers for their patience during this time. Strong decisions now mean we can look forward to COVID-19 being brought under control faster and school learning arrangements resuming as soon as possible.”
