ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said students could go back to school before the end of the year but that it was unlikely to be before the end of term 3.

He said work was being done to improve the ventilation of school buildings off the back of the air quality issues experienced during the 2019-20 bushfire season.

"There are school buildings in Canberra older than me and there are some school buildings built recently with excellent ventilation," he said.

Mr Barr said a mask mandate could be considered for younger cohorts upon a return to school.

The chief minister said further details on what restrictions Canberrans could expect after the current lockdown ends on September 3 would not be revealed until next week.

Australian Education Union ACT branch senior industrial officer Patrick Judge said teachers would like to see a firm decision made on whether school would be going back before the end of term 3 to help set expectations with students and parents.

"We would like to see a clear decision made on that so that teachers, our members, can prepare for that transition into the school holiday period," Mr Judge said.

Mr Judge said teachers were expecting a phased transition back to face-to-face learning when the time came to return to campus.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the state would begin a staggered return to school from October 25.

Kindergarten, year 1 and year 12 students will be the first to go back to school in term 4. From November 1 year 2, year 6 and year 11 will go back to school. The remaining cohorts will go back to school from November 8, which is week six of term 4.

In NSW, vaccinations will be mandatory for school staff from November 8.

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The HSC exams have been delayed to November 9. The NSW Education Standards Authority will issue a new exam timetable in September.

Vaccinations will not be mandatory for students returning to campus, but there will be level three restrictions in place.

Masks will be mandatory at school for all staff and high school students. For the first time, primary school students will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask at school.

Schools will also need to stagger break times and will not be able to hold assemblies and group activities.

Year 12 students in local government areas of concern were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine earlier this month to make it safer for them to take the HSC exams.

Ms Mitchell said some areas of NSW could go back to school earlier than October 25 or later than that date depending on the COVID-19 caseload.

The Independent Education Union called for a round table discussion between non-government schools, NSW Health and the NSW education department to work through the logistics of the staged return plan.

Secretary of the NSW/ACT branch Mark Northam said the decision to return from October 25 had been made without consultation of teachers and principals in non-government schools.

"The IEU calls for urgent consultation and an orderly approach to implementing the framework set out by the NSW Government in its press conference," Mr Northam said.

"Teachers and support staff are craving a little certainty."

The convener of the NSW Vice-Chancellors' Committee, Professor Barney Glover, said the decision to delay the HSC was in best interest of students and that ACT and NSW universities would adjust their admissions processes.

"We understand how unsettling all these changes are for you, but we are strongly encouraging you to stay the course and complete your HSC," Prof Glover said.

The Pfizer vaccine has been by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation approved for children aged 12 to 15.

Mr Barr said there were 25,000 Canberrans in this age bracket.

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