Some Illawarra HSC students will return to school despite NSW being in lockdown

Shellharbour Anglican College captain Annabelle Thorpe is not one of those students but she is happy some of her fellow Year 12 students will be back in the classroom.

The 18-year-old is also "relieved" HSC students will no longer be used as "political pawns".

"It's really hard and it is really frustrating not knowing what's going on. Everything is quite confusing and it is changing a lot," Annabelle said.

Critics have been vocal ever since the NSW Government announced it was looking to return HSC students to face-to-face learning on August 16, at least two weeks ahead of the anticipated return of all other school students.

However with COVID-19 cases spiking above 400 in the last couple of days, there have been suggestions the lockdown will be extended into at least September.

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Even before the latest outbreak, unions representing public and independent school teachers labelled moves to return HSC students to school as "political and premature".

Though the move was backed by the NSW Department of Education, Independent Schools of NSW and Catholic Schools NSW.

In a joint statement the three education sectors in NSW stated they welcomed advice from NSW Health aimed at protecting the wellbeing and health of HSC students and staff "to partially return to school under strict COVID-safe conditions".

Regardless, HSC student Annabelle was just "sick and tired" of all the rumours.

"I think as Year 12 students it is really important not to speculate and not to engage in the rumours that are going around because it is really hard and everything does keep changing," she said.

"I think all the speculation, whether it is the HSC is being cancelled or trials will be in different formats...it is really unhelpful to keep spreading rumours or engaging with these rumours.

"I think we just need to trust that our teachers, NESA [New South Wales Education Standards Authority] and the NSW Government are actually really trying and they're on our side and they're trying to help us."

Thinking and knowing her teachers had her best interest at heart was helping Annabelle get through a very "tiring year emotionally and physically".

"I know my teachers are really supportive and really great," she said.

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"To be honest I'm pretty over it at this point. It is really tiring, but we're also really close, so I'm just hanging on to the end at this point."

Under the government's flexible model, an updated COVID safety plan provides opportunities for essential curriculum delivery, wellbeing support and check-ins for HSC students as they complete their final year.

School assessments and trial exams will be completed at home across all schools in Greater Sydney.

For Shellharbour Anglican College this means that only students doing subjects which require practical components, such as science, art, design and technology as well as music, will return for face-to-face learning from Monday.

Annabelle enjoys learning from home as she gets time to enjoy exercising and going to the beach.

But she would have loved the opportunity to return to school for some "face-to-face connection".

"I also think gong back to school will help to keep focused because you can get a little lazy at home," Annabelle said.

"I miss the extra motivation and pressures associated with being at school. I'm pretty disappointed I won't be getting that at this point."

Shellharbour Anglican College principal Megan Hastie said about 20 HSC students will be back at school throughout the week.

"That's only about a third of the 60 HSC students we have all up. The following week we will have our trial HSC exams, and they will of course be done online at home," she said.

Mrs Hastie added it was a difficult time for everyone.

"This strain is so virulent and it is so hard to track and control but everyone is having to adjust day by day, moment by moment," she said.

"It is hard for schools, for teachers, having to change what they're doing and pivot, but we are carers, we care for students.

"Teachers are just putting in the effort they need to help their kids have their best chance of learning generally, and particularly for our HSC students having their best attempt for their HSC."

Read more: NSW sees 415 new cases, none in Illawarra

Mrs Hastie said she had learned a few important coping tools having experienced online learning during lockdown last year.

"We learned essentially that it is really important that relationships and community is really at the heart of really good learning," she said.

"Whilst we are offering all of the learning, it is the pastoral care and supporting the wellbeing of students that is absolutely essential if you want to keep them focused,.

"This is particularly the case for our Year 12's. We need to keep them focused and motivated, to give them a sense of purpose in what's a really confusing and uncertain time.

"We are doing everything that we can to support students in a really difficult time to help them to see beyond, that there are options out there, that things are difficult now but when we support each other we can get through anything."

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