Uncertainty for families as school resumes

Dr Rebecca Collie, an education expert in student motivation and wellbeing from University of New South Wales said one of the challenges of switching from in-school learning to remote learning was the uncertainty involved.

"Students don't know if or when they will need to isolate and this can be challenging for motivation," she said.

"If students do have to isolate, they might also find they are feeling less confident about remote learning because their teacher isn't as readily available to provide help compared to when they are at school."

Dr Collie said peer relationships were an essential part of the school and were valuable for boosting academic motivation.

"Finding ways to help students interact with their school friends while they are in isolation is important," she said.

"One way that may help ease the switch from in-school to remote learning is to work in structure at home in terms of the learning time and breaks so it feels more like a typical school day."

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Dr Collie said embracing technology was one way to ensure students have opportunities to maintain friendships while in isolation.

"Older students may find it helpful to set goals for their learning. For example, setting a goal to work for 45 minutes now and then take a 15-minute break," she added.

"For younger students, chunking learning into smaller tasks so they can tick off completed activities can help build a sense of accomplishment each day."

Pittwater MP Rob Stokes acknowledged that it was an extremely challenging time for parents, students and educators but that it was important that students returned to school safely.

"Not going back would be far harder for everyone in the community, particularly for our young people who desperately need to see their friends and learn with each other," he said.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the department was committed to keeping the schools open and fully operational.

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