Jeremy Rockliff

Premier of Tasmania



24 April 2020

Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training

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.



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