COVID-19 Level 4 Restrictions

Parents and carers must keep children – across primary and secondary school – at home unless they need to be at school. Schools and outside of school hours care (OOSHC) services are open for any child that needs it.

Following updated health advice from the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant about the growing risk to the community, stay-at-home rules will apply to all people who live in these areas, or have been there on or after the time the areas entered stay-at-home rules.

Schools will have minimal supervision on site for those students who cannot be educated at home, for example if their parent or carer is an essential worker.

If you are working from home, and your child is able to be educated from home, please keep them at home.

All non–core curriculum related activities are to cease on school site.

Schools should not turn away any student from attending the school site in person.

Schools will provide a program of learning for students who attend school, and students who are learning from home.

Schools should revert to their remote learning mode, using existing resources and programs. For additional support, refer to Learning from home.

Vulnerable staff and students

Schools should continue to support vulnerable staff and student cohorts, with vulnerable staff supported to work from home.   

In-line with current health advice, the following persons are considered vulnerable: 

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 50 with one or more chronic medical conditions

people aged 65 years or older with chronic medical conditions  

people aged 70 years or older 

people with a compromised immune system. 

A reminder for all families

Students must not attend work or school if unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with any COVID-19 symptoms must be sent home and not return to school unless:

• they have isolated for 10 days, when no medical certificate is available
• they have a negative COVID-19 test result and are symptom free.

In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.

Anyone who is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms is strongly encouraged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Find your local testing clinics.External link

Cyber safe families

Refer families to the following resources to support their children in being responsible online users:

Cyber safe families – an overview of cyber safety

Technology and wellbeing – useful tips and tools

Digital citizenshipExternal link – a collection of articles and resources to maximise students’ use of technology.

Masks and face coverings 

All students in Year 7 and above are required to wear masks or face coverings in all indoor settings while at school.

All staff, including early childhood education and care staff, are required to wear masks or face coverings in all indoor and outdoor settings while at school.

Some exemptions apply:

Staff are not required to wear a mask or face covering where it may affect the ability of a student or students to hear or engage with them, such as where students are hard of hearing.  

Staff and students are not required to wear a mask where they are alone in an office or classroom.

Masks or face coverings are not required to be worn by a staff member or student who has a physical or mental health illness or condition, or disability, that makes wearing a mask unsuitable. For example, if they have a skin condition, an intellectual disability, autism or trauma, they are not required to wear a mask. Refer to Face mask rules on the NSW Government websiteExternal link.

Masks remain mandatory on public transport. This applies to students aged 13 years and over, and staff when travelling to and from school and during school excursions by public transport or by chartered or private transport services.

Visitors

Non-essential visitors are not permitted on school sites.

Parents and carers must follow their school’s advice regarding changes to student drop off and pick up. This includes staying in the car when dropping off and picking up children if it is safe to do so. This does not apply to drop off and pick up from OOSHC as sign in and out procedures are required.

Parents should:

• follow the physical distancing advice for their local area and avoid gathering outside of school gates
• remain outside of school grounds (some exceptions may exist re SSP, vulnerable students or students with disabilities)
• adhere to mask-wearing requirements and sign in using the Service NSW QR code when entering the school.

QR code sign-in process for all staff and visitors

The NSW Government have introduced mandatory QR codes across a range of additional settings, including schools. All staff and visitors permitted on school sites will be required to check in and check out using the QR codes.

Parents and carers or other visitors to the school who do not have access to electronic devices for the purposes of QR check in can:

• authorise another person to provide their contact details on their behalf
• provide their details to the school to be recorded in an appropriate manner for provision to NSW Health should it be required. In these circumstances, please enter any paper records into an electronic format such as a spreadsheet within 12 hours to support NSW Health contact tracing should it be required
• use their QR code check-in card which can be created at Create a COVID-19 check-in cardExternal link.

School operations

Families to be encouraged to keep their children at home wherever possible but no child will be turned away from school.

Minimum staff on-site to oversee one unit of learning for students attending school site, noting that flexible syllabus requirements are in place.

Kindergarten orientation and transition activities are recommended to be delayed until later in Term 3 or early Term 4.

Canteens and uniform stores are not to operate.

No community use arrangements.

No multicultural celebrations.

Continued enhanced cleaning and hygiene supply arrangements.

No P&C activities on school sites.

SRE/SEE/VSA

Special Religious Education (SRE)/Special Education in Ethics (SEE) is not permitted in schools operating under Level 4 restrictions.

Approved providers have modified their authorised curriculum to enable students to learn from home. Parents/carers may wish to access the SRE and SEE resources through the portal entry points to lesson content below:

• Approved providers for All Faiths SREExternal link (Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Bahai, Hindu)
• Approved providers for Christian based faith SREExternal link
• Primary Ethics for SEEExternal link

For more information or support on these resources, please contact the approved provider.

Distribution of learning from home materials

An important part of a successful learning from home program for many schools is providing families with hard copies of materials and activities both as a supplement to online work being undertaken and for families with limited ability to use or access technology. Schools are employing a range of innovative practices to make sure all students have access to the appropriate materials to continue their learning from home.

Schools under stay-at-home rules but not in an LGA of concern (Level 4 plus schools) are encouraged to consider posting or couriering materials in the first instance. Schools can continue with their current practice if they are confident that they are distributing learning from home materials to families in a COVID safe and efficient way. This will include establishing minimal or no contact processes for parents to collect work and considering staggering times for work to be collected