The education union has welcomed the Victorian government's plans for a staged return to face-to-face learning in term four.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday confirmed VCE and VCAL students across Melbourne and regional Victoria will sit the General Achievement Test and other assessments in person from October 5.
From October 12, prep to year 2, VCE, VCAL specialist students will return to face-to-face learning in Melbourne. All regional students will return in the same week.
The premier said Melbourne's year 3 to year 10 students could return to school from October 26 if there are fewer than five new daily cases of coronavirus on average.
"That's got to be done safely and it can't be in a way that would ultimately put at risk all the other goals of getting the place open by the time we get to Christimas," Mr Andrews said.
Schools will be able to choose how they return.
The Victorian president of the Australian Education Union Meredith Peace said the return to school must be done "slowly and safely".
"We're glad the government has given schools flexibility so they can return to normal teaching in a way that suits their school community," Ms Peace said in a statement.
"This has been a challenging six months and our principals, teachers and support staff have done an incredible job to keep our education system running."
Childcare centres will reopen from September 28 to those without a worker's permit and kindergartens will return from October 5.
Australian Associated Press
