Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Otūmoetai College moves to online learning for senior students

Face-to-face learning would resume for all students next week. Photo / Getty Images

Senior students at Otūmoetai College will be learning from home this week due to "a number of staff" isolating at home after brushes with Covid-19.

The same will happen at Tauranga Boys' College from Wednesday.

Otūmoetai College principal Russell Gordon says around 20 staff have been deemed household contacts and needed to complete 10 days of isolation.

He hoped the switch to online for Year 11, 12 and 13 students would act as a "circuit breaker" and would mean students would have "more contact" with their regular teachers instead of relievers.

Face-to-face learning would continue for junior students this week.

"If we go to distance learning it means those teachers can connect with their students digitally.

"What we are about is continuity of learning for students, and this is our way of ensuring that our kids get the best deal they can possibly get at this moment."

He anticipated the school would be operating as normal next week, with all students returning to the classroom.

Gordon said the school had used its pool of relievers to the "full extent" but some were no longer available for various reasons.

He also acknowledged the resilience of all students - including those who had tested positive for Covid-19.

"I shake my head at the resilience of our students. A year ago the idea of Covid coming into a school would have been catastrophic. But now we appreciate it is our community and some of our students have been diagnosed Covid-positive. We just get on with it," he said.

"We are being calm, cautious and at times pragmatic. That is the way we work through this pandemic, and I am so grateful for the response from our staff, students and community in how we are navigating through this."

Tauranga Boys' College announced on Tuesday afternoon it would move to a mixed teaching model.

In a Facebook post, the school announced an increasing number of teaching staff were unable to teach onsite due to the impact of Covid-19.

From Wednesday, all senior students in Years 11, 12 and 13 will be offsite, accessing teaching and learning material via Google Classroom for the next four days.

Normal schooling will continue onsite for Year 9 and 10 students, with the primary mode of learning being face-to-face.