Half of Comet Bay College students to return after fire destroyed classrooms

Half the students at a fire-ravaged school in Perth’s south will return to face-to-face classes on Tuesday, while the other half will switch to learning online. The blaze broke out at Comet Bay College in Secret Harbour on Thursday night, destroying classrooms in the English and Humanities and Social Sciences block. The school was closed on Friday and Monday, with the exception of year 11 ATAR students who were scheduled to sit their English exam. A message sent to parents late Sunday confirmed that students in years 7, 11 and 12 would return to school on Tuesday. Remote learning would be made available to students in years 8, 9 and 10. It was unclear how long that would be in place. “I’m very pleased to be able to share with you that significant work has been underway at our school over the weekend and we look set to welcome certain year groups of students back on site this week,” principal Kelly Bennett wrote. “Staff have returned and will focus on establishing temporary learning areas and preparing remote learning packages should they be required.” She said the school would still provide supervision for students in Years 8, 9 or 10 if their parents had no other care options. “I would also like to advise that all excursions and sporting events that were planned for this week, will go ahead across all year groups at the school,” the letter said. “I thank you all for your understanding and support. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all who have worked throughout the weekend towards getting our school ready for learning once again.”