It appears there is not a one size fits all model for the delayed start to the 2022 South Australian school year.

The extraordinary return to school model has been set and has impacted families across the state differently.

Families of varied sizes and work commitments have had to navigate their way through the state government decision.

The school year was due to resume “as normal” yesterday.

However, early last month the Department for Education announced the staged return to school and pre-school would take place over the first two weeks of the new school year.

It was announced that tomorrow would be the first day for some, but not all students.

Students starting reception, years 1, 7, 8 and 12 would be welcomed on school grounds for face-to-face learning while all other year levels would be home schooled for the first two weeks.

The department said the start of the school year has been adjusted to help minimise the peak of COVID-19 cases in South Australia.

According to the department, the decision would balance every child’s learning entitlement with safety.

The staggered start has been met with mixed reactions from families.

Among the families is essential worker and single parent Samantha Abela and her daughter Theresa Meagher.

Ms Abela said she was relieved to be able to send her daughter to school on the first day of the school term.

“When it was announced there would be a delayed start to the school year I started to panic,” she said.

“I was confused and wondered how I would go working full-time and home-schooling Theresa if I was not able to send her back.”

Unlike most other Year 3 students Theresa was welcomed back into the classroom yesterday.

Though Monday and Tuesday have been classed as preparation days for teachers, supervision for some children on-site has been offered.

Parents who are required to attend work and do not have anyone who can supervise their children could choose to send their child to school.

Ms Abela is a disability support worker.

“Most of my hours I have tried to schedule it for during school hours, but it does fall outside,” she said.

“With the teachers at school helping assist the online learning in her year level I am relieved to know she will not fall behind.”

Last year South Australia experienced a lockdown requiring families with primary and secondary aged students to navigate online learning.

“I struggled really bad. I had no idea what we were doing,” Ms Abela said.

“Then I worked out I was classed as an essential worker.

“I sent Theresa to school which helped bring her back to the level she needed to be at.”

On this occasion Ms Abela is not nearly as overwhelmed by the COVID influenced situation.

“I can still work like normal. I do not need to panic unless there is an outbreak at the school or me being affected at work by close contact,” she said.

In the meantime, the department has been keeping school communities up-to-date with the latest information on the extraordinary back-to-school model.

The information provided to schools has then been distributed to parents via email, social media, and online communication apps, such as SeeSaw and Sentral.

Mum of three Brooke Sunderland will have her two youngest, Edie and Ollie, attending school as of tomorrow.

Meanwhile her eldest Daisy will be at home until she is allowed to return to site later this month.

“The delayed start is a bit messy,” Mrs Sunderland said.

“It does not make sense, in the sense my three are all going to the same school, close in age, attend a small school and are first dose vaccinated.

“I will still need to take Edie and Ollie, and have Daisy with me to drop them off.”

Mrs Sunderland added she felt disappointed for her children as this would be the first year all three would be attending together.

Ollie begins his first year of primary schooling, while Edie will be in Year 1 and Daisy starts Year 3.

However, Mrs Sunderland said she was not surprised by the decision.

“I was not surprised to learn we would have a delayed start given the influx of tourists and COVID spreading so quickly,” she said.

“Daisy understands she will be doing home-schooling and seems ok with it.

“I think she is secretly looking forward to being home with me.”

Reflecting back to last year’s lockdown Mrs Sunderland said this was a frustrating time for her, but foresees this occasion to be less so.

“Last year’s lockdown was frustrating,” she said.

“By that I mean it was the city affected by COVID and nothing in the South East.

“However, I do understand schools are state run, so everyone needs to abide by State Government decisions.”

Mrs Sunderland said she was fortunate her husband Craig was on rostered days off from his work during the lockdown.

“Having to navigate two kids with chrome books and a kindy aged child was a very busy time,” she said.

Despite this, she praised Daisy’s ability to navigate her workload though there were some technical difficulties encountered.

“I felt for her teacher the most as she was filling in for her regular class teacher who had taken leave,” she said.

“I was most impressed with Edie’s learning program, but she still needed some extra help gathering supplies or understanding content.

“I think it was her learning which was wide and varied which kept her interest up and focused.

“This occasion will be vastly different because I will only have one at home.

“Daisy is competent navigating her chrome book and thankful she has the same teacher as last year which makes the start to the year more settling to begin with.”

Mrs Sunderland also has confidence in the teacher’s preparation for the unique start to the school year.

“I have no doubt the teacher is well prepared for the start of this year’s home-schooling,” she said.

“I do not agree or disagree with the delayed start, I understand why it’s being implemented.

“But as stated, it does not make sense for our small school.”

Risk to teachers’ health was a concern to Mrs Sunderland during this time.

“I do worry for the teachers’ health. It would be awful for them to have put so much work into preparing for home-schooling to be struck down with COVID,” she said.

Millicent couple Shannon and Meredie Widdison are considered essential workers, employed by Kimberly-Clark Australia (KCA) and Australia Post, respectively.

They have taken advantage of sending their sons Cooper and Logan to school as of yesterday.

The delayed start came as no surprise to Mrs Widdison.

“I kind of knew it would happen,” she said.

“With the amount of COVID cases here in the South East, I thought there was no way schools would return to normal.

“Considering kids learned from home last year when there were not many cases at all.”

Mrs Widdison said last year’s lockdown was stressful for her but found comfort in wise words from a teacher.

“Last year we kept the boys’ home as much as possible. It was quite stressful for me, trying to help them with their learning as well as continuing to work,” she said.

“But as a teacher friend said, ‘you’re not a teacher, it’s not your job to teach them at home’.”

The department has assured ‘no child will be turned away’, stating parents who do not have appropriate supervision for their children can choose to send their child to school.

Hospitality worker Jesika Leibhardt said she had no choice but to take two days off work, unpaid.

“I know it’s only two days for us but I have to take those two days off work, hospitality is not essential enough,” she said.

The time off work has had a financial impact on Ms Leibhardt, who has two children.

“All up last year I had 2.5 months off over the year to home school unpaid,” she said.

She said she feels home schooling was not beneficial for her daughter, Pipa Marshall, who is due to start Year one.

“I’m not a teacher so I feel it’s doing more harm than good, I know for my daughter, it’s the friendships and-one on-one she misses the most,” she said.

The government intends all students across the state to be welcomed back to face-to-face learning on February 14.