Schools will continue to ensure physical distancing and high standards of health and hygiene are practised on-site.

Please see our on-site health and safety measures.

Students are not required to wear a mask while at school.

Further information and advice regarding face masks is available from Queensland Health.

No, in school settings students who are 18 years or older are able to interact at school in the same way as their younger peers. They are required to follow the same health and hygiene protocols required of all students.

Each school will continue to actively manage routines and protocols in and around the school. Physical distancing measures between adults remain in place and it is important that we all continue to practise these measures.

While the AHPPC advises that physical distancing is not required for students during classroom activities, schools may continue to use additional strategies to decrease contact between classes and year levels, minimise gathering points and maximise airflow (considering weather conditions and other safety factors) like:

• using larger, alternative locations or classrooms within the school
• making use of outdoor learning spaces
• staggering lunch breaks, start and finish times.

Schools will continue to manage their timetable arrangements locally, including changes to previous schedules, and will communicate any changes with parents and carers.

Please see our on-site health and safety measures.

Schools will manage staffing as they normally do. If teachers are unwell or unable to attend school due to health reasons, principals will engage supply teachers as required.

Please see our operating guidelines for the use of shared equipment or loaned resources.

Library books and school readers can be borrowed by students and taken home. When returned to the school, books and readers will be managed in line with departmental guidelines prior to being made available for the next reader.

The Department of Education has established protocols if a confirmed case of COVID-19 occurs in a school.

We will:

• follow the advice of Queensland Health
• work with the school community to minimise the impact of a confirmed case
• ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, students and visitors are prioritised.

If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a school community, the school may need to temporarily close to allow time for public health authorities to conduct contact tracing and deep cleaning to be undertaken prior to reopening.

Transport arrangements will continue to operate for students, including specialist school transport for students with disability.

Please see our operating guidelines for school transport.

Social and physical distancing protocols continue to apply to adults in a school setting. We can all help to restrict the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to these protocols.

Schools will be taking action to limit the number of non-essential adults entering school grounds, as well as implementing new procedures where required to limit the amount of adult-to-adult contact in and around the school.

There may be:

• different arrangements for pick-up and drop-off
• on-line meetings between parents and staff rather than face-to-face.

Individual schools will make the appropriate arrangements for their community.

Parents can help by:

• minimising the need to enter the school
• not gathering inside or outside the school
• working with school staff to adhere to new protocols or ways of working in and around the school.

Please ensure your child stays away from school if they are showing any signs of illness or are unwell.

The Chief Health Officer has provided an exemption for primary and secondary students as an exempt class of persons under border restrictions directions (No. 11), for students:

• who are Queensland residents who live outside of the Queensland border zone and are enrolled at a school located in the New South Wales border zone, in years Prep to 12, and are re-entering Queensland after attending the school or participating in an extra-curricular activity as required by the school on school days, including a parent or guardian accompanying the student (who is a minor) or
• who are residents of the New South Wales border zone and are enrolled at a Queensland school outside of the Queensland border zone, in years Prep to 12, and who are entering Queensland for the purposes of receiving instruction or participating in an extra-curricular activity as required by the school on school days, including a parent or guardian accompanying the student (who is a minor).

School days may include weekend days where the travel is associated with a school-related extra-curricular activity and attendance is required by the school e.g. school sport.

This approval does not permit students or their parents/guardians to enter Queensland for any other purpose as per the border restrictions directions (No.11). Students and parents/guardian must travel directly to and from the school or location of school-related extra-curricular activity.

Please be aware, students will not be permitted to enter Queensland if, in the 14 days prior they, or the accompanying parent/guardian, have:

• been overseas or
• COVID-19
• had COVID-19 or
• had known close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Approval as a student is valid for entry into Queensland for 3 months from 18 August 2020.

When travelling to Queensland, students, including a parent or guardian accompanying the student (who is a minor) are not required to complete the Queensland Border Declaration Pass, however students and parents/guardians must carry the following documents, and present them if requested by an Emergency Officer (public health):

• a copy of a letter from the school confirming their enrolment for the purposes of this exemption and
• student ID and
• confirmation that the student is entering Queensland to go directly to school and
• evidence of the parent or guardian's identity confirming their place of residence, for example, a driver’s licence and
• parent or guardian contact details.

As an approved class of persons, students must only remain in Queensland for the time necessary to attend school or undertake a school-related extra-curricular activity and must practice physical distancing including remaining at least 1.5 metres from other people, to the extent reasonably practicable.

This decision has been made based on the Public Health Directions and COVID-19 hotspot declarations in place at the time of this decision.

It is each student's parent or guardian's responsibility to review the Public Health Directions and hotspot declarations at the time of entry to Queensland to determine if they are subject to any amended requirements or obligations.

Any child who is showing signs of illness such as COVID-19 symptoms, or feeling unwell, must stay at home.

If a child is showing signs of illness at school, the school will contact the parent or carer to collect the child.

As advised by Queensland Health and the Chief Health Officer, anyone who develops a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath should contact their doctor or call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Health support will continue to be provided to students attending school. As well as practising and promoting high standards of hygiene, schools will ensure that staff use personal protective equipment (PPE) for specialised health procedures as advised by Queensland Health.

For more information, see our health support procedures.

Students who are unable to return to school due to medical reasons will be supported by their school, just as they would in the case of any extended medical absence.

Please see our operating guidelines for students learning at home due to medical reasons.

The learning@home website will remain live.

While usual Queensland Health school dental services including on-site dental vans were temporarily interrupted due to COVID-19 restrictions, most Hospital and Health Services are now offering these services for people who are well and have been assessed by the dental service as low risk of COVID-19.

If your child requires dental treatment, please contact your local Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service for information about their availability, or ask your child's school for information about school dental services in your local area.

The delivery of the 2020 School Immunisation Program was temporarily paused due to COVID-19.

Eligible Year 7 or Year 10 students, who may have missed their vaccinations in Term 1 or Term 2, can attend any future clinics held at their school during 2020 to catch-up on their scheduled vaccinations.

Yes. School staff will continue to be alert to the needs of students as they return to school. If parents are concerned about their child's wellbeing they should contact their school.

School staff continue to be alert to the needs of their students. If you are concerned about your child’s wellbeing, please contact your school.

Resources to support students' wellbeing, including advice to parents and carers for students during the pandemic, are available at supporting students’ wellbeing and mental health.

Students will continue to attend the school at which they are enrolled.

If a student is unwell they must not attend school. As advised by Queensland Health and the Chief Health Officer, anyone who develops a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath should contact their doctor or call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Please contact your child's school if you have any questions about how it will report on academic achievement.

Parent-teacher interviews approved by the principal can occur, ensuring physical distancing requirements are maintained and other COVID-19 control measures are implemented. Where possible, options for teleconference or online platforms should be available.

COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of life and this is likely to impact students in different ways.

Teachers are highly skilled at using a differentiated approach to meet the learning needs of a range of students, and this will continue to be a particular area of focus.

If you have specific concerns about your child's progress or any particular learning challenges that have arisen, please raise them with your child's classroom teacher. Teachers can employ a range of techniques to address these concerns.

As senior secondary students would be aware, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) Board removed one of the three internal assessments from the summative assessment requirements for all General and Applied subjects. The QCAA will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on senior secondary schooling including any changes that might be required to external assessment.

The QCAA's FAQs for students, parents and carers provides further information about the removal of an internal assessment and clarifies that this will not impact the calculation of students' ATARs.

The department will continue to work with QCAA and provide schools with advice regarding Years 11 and 12.

School camps and excursions are permitted to locations or businesses that have an approved COVID Safe Industry Plan or to Department of Education Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres.

For more information, please see excursions and camps.

Instrumental music programs, ensembles and choirs can rehearse in the school environment provided COVID safety protocols are in place.

For more information, see instrumental music programs, ensembles and choirs.

School concerts and musicals may be held as long as physical distancing and effective hygiene measures are adhered to by all participants, including any audience members.

In accordance with physical distancing measures, principals may decide that audiences will be restricted to students and staff only.

For more information, see instrumental music programs, ensembles and choirs.

Schools are able to conduct inter-school and representative school sport programs for both indoor and outdoor sports. Selected Queensland state championships will also take place.

Further information regarding Queensland School Sport, including FAQs, planning documents and a calendar of state championship events, is available to support schools and sports organisers to train and compete in a safe, responsible and low risk manner that complies with the latest health advice.

Please see our operating guidelines for school assemblies.

Please see our operating guidelines for school functions.

Schools or tuckshop providers will advise parents of local operating arrangements.

Please see our operating guidelines for the use of facilities and school amenities.

Please see our operating guidelines for visitors.

Please do not attend any school site if you are unwell.

Please see our operating guidelines for meetings within the school.

Please do not attend any school site if you are unwell.

Vocational education and training (VET) courses will continue. Registered Training Organisations (RTO) can attend schools to deliver these programs and students can attend RTO sites, as long as physical distancing and effective hygiene protocols are adhered to.

Schools will continue to ensure physical distancing protocols are applied appropriately in all teaching, learning and assessment programs. This may mean that some practical elements may take place in a different way. Where students use shared equipment, strict hygiene measures will continue.

Schools will give careful consideration to allowing their students to participate in work experience programs in line with:

• current Queensland Government COVID-19 advice
  
• students' Senior Education and Training plans
• the necessity to undertake work experience at this time
• the operations of the workplace environment
• appropriate risk assessment procedures.

If work experience is required as part of structured workplace learning, or through a vocational placement, the school will negotiate with the relevant Registered Training Organisation.

Students can continue to participate in their school-based apprenticeship or traineeship if:

• the student remains enrolled at school, whether attending school or learning on-line at home
• the employer can continue to offer employment and on-the-job training related to their qualification and training plan.

Students who are attending a workplace must adhere to all COVID-19 health and safety measures in line with the current Queensland Government COVID-19 advice.

State school-operated residential boarding facilities are open for all students.

Boarding students (state, Catholic or independent) who reside in designated Indigenous communities and have not yet returned to their boarding facility, will continue to have their learning program provided by the school at which they are usually enrolled. These students may continue to access their local school where there is a documented agreement signed by both principals.

OSHC services will continue to operate before and after school and vacation care. This will include on-site or off-site facilities that cater for school age children, such as long day care, family day care or vacation care.

Parents should contact their local OSHC or vacation care provider to confirm arrangements.

Community kindergartens are open and operating as normal.

Programs such as playgroups, early childhood development programs (ECDPs) and KindyLinQ that involve parents on school sites need to follow Queensland's Roadmap to easing restrictions. Physical distancing requirements for adults will remain in place.

Local school decisions around these programs will be made by the principal on a case-by-case basis to ensure the latest health, hygiene and physical distancing requirements are met.

For ideas, activities and resources to use with your children at home, please visit the Playgroup Queensland website and earlylearning@home.