Children and young people are used to the routine and structure of school. To support their ongoing classroom learning, it is important they have as much routine and certainty as possible in their day.  

Parents, you’re not expected to be a teacher – don’t feel that you need to plan lessons, or schedule learning. Simply follow the advice of your child’s teacher; they will provide daily/weekly lesson timetables.

Your role is to support your child and to ensure that they connect with the online learning, by: 

• Involving your child in establishing a simple, consistent, and predictable daily home routine, for before and after the lesson timetable provided by your child's teacher
• Ensuring daily home routines include times for eating, reading, talking, writing, playing and exercise around lessons 
• Displaying the provided daily routine so everyone in the family can see it 
• Creating a balance between more formal online classroom learning with time for reading books, exploring the outdoors and child-initiated learning opportunities; and 
• Being prepared for things not going to plan and being flexible. 

See below for routine advice by year level.

For primary school students, the ‘home school’ day will be significantly shorter than the usual school day. 

Parents supervising their children at home need to be aware that students working in this mode will generally complete work tasks a lot faster. 

As a result, students in R-2 classes will generally only need one to two hours (excluding breaks) per day of directed activity. Please do not expect them to spend six hours on schoolwork.

Year 3-6 primary school students will focus on literacy and numeracy in the morning and cover the learning areas of the Australian Curriculum and Religious Education through integrated learning throughout the week.

For all primary school students, please consider the following: 

• If need be, assist your child to follow the lesson timetable and curriculum content as provided by your classroom teacher.
• Remove any distractions that may stop them from focusing on and completing their work. 
• Ensure there is a healthy balance between screen time and other activities; during their break times, avoid using their devices or technology. That could involve being outside or reading to them or your child reading to you.  
• Encourage and support them to attempt all set work and ensure your child reads all feedback so that they can reassess their learning goals. 
• If they are having difficulty understanding the task, try to assist them or encourage them to communicate regularly with their teacher.   
• If you have a concern about their wellbeing please contact your class teacher or the school counsellor.
• If your child receives regular curriculum support in class, please maintain communication with the class teacher and Education Services Officer (ESO) to access support for adjusting and completing classroom learning tasks.  

As far as possible, secondary school students should be encouraged to follow their usual school timetable while at home, or as provided by their teachers.  

While it is still allowed, there may also be occasions where students will need to attend school, even if they are studying at home. Examples of these occasions include when completing a major work project for the SACE, or possibly collecting/delivering study materials.

For junior secondary students, please consider the following: 

• Students should focus on learning tasks, especially during lesson times and limit access to social media platforms and other non-school online activities to avoid distraction. 
• Students should follow as much as possible their regular timetabled classes; however, workload expectations for students will be reduced by teachers to ensure students are not overwhelmed with work demands.
• Regular breaks to provide opportunities for students to maintain a balance throughout their day, providing time for activities that will benefit their wellbeing. 
• If your child receives regular learning support, please maintain communication with the class teacher and Education Services Officer (ESO) regarding adjustments to tasks and support with completing the learning assignments.  

For all senior secondary students please consider the following: 

• Support your child to balance their time effectively. They will get opportunities for regular breaks (as they do during a normal school day). Encourage them to get some fresh air, exercise, eat healthy and hydrate. 
• Students should focus on learning tasks, especially during lesson times and curtail social media connection and other non-school online activities to avoid distraction. 
• Students should follow as much as possible their regular timetabled classes. 
• For SACE students support them to remain calm.  The SACE Board recognises the challenges that we, as a society, are faced with. There will be flexibility.  
• It is important for students to maintain regular contact with teachers and learning support staff to continue the adjustments and learning support that is a necessary component of your child’s learning. 

The SACE Board will continue to work with schools and universities to ensure there are no disadvantages this year.   

Much of what your child does at University / TAFE in the future will be online; therefore, this is an opportunity to become familiar with this type of learning. 

Learn more in the videos below: 

The SACE Board of SA has developed a COVID-19 readiness portal for teachers, students and the community. This website portal will be the central point for information and updates. 

If you have any other questions relating to SACE matters that haven't been answered here, please contact your school.