2. Question No. 2—EducationANGELA ROBERTS (Labour) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 2—Education2. ANGELA ROBERTS (Labour) to the Minister of Education: What action is the Government taking to give school students in alert level 3 areas the opportunity to return to onsite learning? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): Today I've confirmed that Auckland and Waikato students in years 1 to 10 can return to face-to-face learning at schools and kura from 17 November. Students in years 9 and 10 will be able to return full-time alongside those already back at high schools in years 11 to 13. Most students in years 1 to 8 will be returning part-time. Each school and kura will decide what works best for their learners and their community consistent with the public health guidance that we have issued. That might be by alternating days or half-weeks through year levels or through whānau groupings. Full-time learning will continue onsite for students whose parents have needed it—for example if they've been back at full-time work. Angela Roberts: What reassurance can he give to students and their families that it is safe to return to onsite learning? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Public health advice supports a return to onsite learning. It's clear that the risk of reopening schools is outweighed by the benefits of kids re-engaging in their learning face to face. Measures to help minimise the risk of COVID-19 will include mask wearing from year 4 up in most cases ventilating classrooms limiting the number of students onsite and making sure groups of children distance from each other and with really strong vaccination rates the balance of risk has shifted. As vaccination rates continue to increase including the requirement for teachers to have at least one COVID-19 vaccination by Monday the risk to children and students continues to lower. Angela Roberts: Why is it important to bring younger students back onsite now? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I acknowledge that lockdowns can be stressful for children and young people so returning to some onsite learning will mean that they can reconnect with their teachers and with their friends. Starting this month that provides certainty ahead of the Christmas break and before the new school year starts. Parents caregivers and teachers have been doing an incredible job helping children to adapt and to learn online and I want to thank them for that and acknowledge those school leaders and teachers who'll be working hard from here to prepare for a different way of teaching and learning from 17 November. Teanau Tuiono: Is he confident that health protections proposed will be strong enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at schools? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: In the new environment that we are moving into it is impossible to completely prevent the spread of COVID-19. The public health measures that we're putting in place in our schools and our kura are designed to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading but I do want to be really really clear that COVID-19 will spread throughout New Zealand over the coming months. People need to be prepared for that. The public health protections that we put in place are designed to minimise that. Teanau Tuiono: Will he instruct the Ministry of Education to roll out high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to improve ventilation in schools so students and teachers can be as safe as possible? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It is important to recognise that most schools do not have artificial ventilation systems; they have windows and doors. They don't have air conditioning they don't have ducted air ventilation and it is through ducted air ventilation that HEPA filters are used. So in most cases the best way of ventilating those spaces is going to be to have the windows and doors open. Where it's not possible to open the windows and doors or where ventilation opportunities are very poor or where there are structural ventilation systems we'll work with schools on a case by case basis to identify what's best for their needs.