And the region's HSC students were also hit with another change, with today's announcement that their final exams' start date had been pushed back to November 9.

NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) is set to announce the full timetable in September but at this stage HSC students are expected to receive their HSC results on January 15, 2022.

This will not stop students from getting their ATAR or applying for university.

NESA has yet to deny reports that some written exams will be removed, while others will be done in an outside setting.

Other year groups could return to school before October 25, with the NSW Government leaving the door open for communities which come out of stay-at-home-orders before then to possibly return to face-to-face learning earlier.

"If we are able to bring students earlier in any LGA in any parts of the regions, of course we will do that," Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said.

Read more: All 12- to 15-year-olds offered vaccine this yea

This is relevant for Shellharbour and Kiama, who at this stage are only in lockdown until September 13.

But for the rest of Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, Kindergarten and Year 1 students will return to the classroom on October 25.

Year 12 students will also return in week six of Term 4.

On November 1 Year 2, 6 and 11 students will return to the classroom, while the remaining year groups will be back in school on November 8. That is the same day vaccinations for all school staff across all sectors will be mandatory.

NSW Health will be providing priority vaccinations at Qudos Bank Arena for school staff the week beginning September 6.

Level 3 COVID restrictions will apply to all schools across the state. This includes minimal mixing between students, no large gatherings and assemblies and no extra adults on school sites.

"We will also have mask wearing mandatory for all of our staff," Mrs Mitchell said.

"It is mandatory for our high school students and we will strongly be recommending that our primary school students also wear masks."

Read more: Seven Illawarra residents hospitalised with COVID

This comes hot on the heels of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) stating that vaccination against COVID-19 was now recommended for all individuals from 12 years of age.

This was music to the ears of Berkeley mother-of -two Leighanne Hunt.

Mrs Hunt and her husband Michael Michels are fully vaccinated. They want their daughters Grace, 15 and Chelsea, 11 to also be vaccinated before returning to school.

"Grace is very keen to get vaccinated. I just booked her in for November 5. It is probably the first needle in her life that she has looked forward to," she said.

"With the current Delta strain, it is a lot stronger than what we've previously seen. As different mutations come out it is effecting us more and more.

"If we are going to have our kids out and about, I think it is important that they are protected."

Ms Hunt was really pleased to see that the vaccination rates in general were going up.

"But it does worry me that the southern suburbs of Wollongong are a little bit behind the northern suburbs," she said.

"I think it is important that the government firstly gets the doses down here, but secondly that people are taking advantage of it."

Read more: NSW health workers must get vaccinated

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