Morrison is meeting with the Australian Education Union today about a nationally-consistent approach to school preparedness, with state-based unions also meeting with state education ministers.

While the messages have so far differed by state, Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace has been adamant that in her jurisdiction the school term will finish on Friday, April 3, as scheduled.

However, with many parents already taking their children out of school, and some schools more advanced than others in shifting classes online, Morrison was sympathetic to calls for teachers to have school days to make arrangements.

“I would anticipate that for several days prior to the end of the term, there will need to be some pupil free days while the teachers and the school staff work on the projects they’ve already been pursuing on extending distance learning,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday night.

“And so that will be an important job for those educators to be doing as we go into the term break.”

The Queensland Teachers’ Union is still negotiating with the state government. In a Facebook post for its 47,000 members, the union said it had “made it clear that school closures are inevitable and a transition period (in the form of student-free days) is needed before alternate learning programs can be implemented”.

“Disappointingly, the (State) Government did not concede these points but we will continue to press the case. The current situation is clearly unsustainable.”

Brisbane’s Anglican Church Grammar School, known as Churchie, was shut down for cleaning today after a parent was diagnosed with COVID-19. Brisbane State High School was vandalised – a graffiti message to “shut schools save lives” – amid concerns students and staff were being put at risk.

Morrison made clear that schools were expected to reopen next term. He also dismissed speculation that physical classrooms might only be available to the children of essential health and community service workers – in doing so, emphasising the economic crisis that has accompanied the pandemic.

“Now, if you ask me who is an essential worker? Someone who has a job. Everyone who has a job in this economy is an essential worker. Every single job that is being done in our economy with these severe restrictions that is taking place is essential. It can be essential in a service, whether it’s a nurse or a doctor or a school teacher or a public servant who is working tonight to ensure that we can get even greater capacity in our Centrelink offices, working till 8 o’clock under the new arrangements, in the call centres, these are all essential jobs.

“People who are stacking shelves, that’s essential. People earning money in their family when another member of their family may have lost their job and can no longer earn, that’s an essential job. Jobs are essential and everyone who has one needs to be able to keep doing their job. And that means they will need to continue to be able to send their children to school for an education, for an education at that school.”

This morning, after meeting with the union, Morrison likened teachers to doctors, nurses, paramedics, and Centrelink staff, who he said were not only essential but critical in dealing with the pandemic and economic crisis.

“We recognise, absolutely, just how important teachers are in dealing with this crisis,” the Prime Minister said.

“These are critical people in our community at this time.”