But primary students at P-12 schools cannot return to classrooms until later that week, the state government has ruled.

Great South Coast Network of Government Schools chair Michelle Bickley-Miller said south-west public primary schools, including all six in the Warrnambool LGA, would now return from remote learning due to eased COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, October 5, a week earlier than planned.

"We were allowed to stage it through the week but we felt unless we have a prearranged professional learning day, which some schools did, we wanted to get the kids back as soon as possible for everybody to get back to a new normal," Ms Bickley-Miller said.

Although all standalone regional primary schools can return from the Monday, primary school students at P-12 schools cannot return until Thursday due to year 12 and some year 11 and 10 students sitting their General Achievement Test on campuses on the Wednesday.

"These arrangements have been put in place to enable students to attend on-site as soon as possible while reducing as far as possible the risk of any secondary school being required to close in the week of the GAT," a Department of Education and Training spokesman said.

Warrnambool King's College principal Allister Rouse said the delayed return for primary year levels at the independent P-12 school had "caused a little bit of angst".

"We are the only P-12 school in Warrnambool and parents are wanting their kids to go back to school as soon as possible," he said.

"Every primary school is going back to school at the start of the term, but we are in a different situation because we have a secondary component as well."

Mr Rouse said primary school students at King's would return on October 12, when all regional senior students could also return.

He said he did not want families to "lose sight" of the "excellent job" school communities had done in delivering remote learning despite the delayed returned.

Ms Bickley-Miller said P-12 schools would "make up for it very well when they get back to school".

"I think sometimes we have to make some sacrifices and I think everybody feels for our VCE students," she said.

Educators will also check on student wellbeing and address any learning gaps once face-to-face classes return, nine weeks after stage three restrictions forced a second round of remote learning this year.

"You wouldn't want to wait a year until that particular unit of maths is explored again with them at a another year level, you have to make sure the foundational skills that impact future learning are focused on," Ms Bickley-Miller said.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.