Auckland secondary schools have been told year 12 and 13 students can return to the classroom under coronavirus alert level 3 – but not all principals are happy about it.

Ormiston College principal Diana Patience said having senior students back at school “contradicts health and safety messages about ring-fencing the virus, stopping the spread and also social distancing”.

The new rules, announced in a Ministry of Education bulletin on Monday, would allow students to return in bubbles of no more than 20, with strict health and safety measures in place.

But Patience called the proposition “unworkable” due to the size of senior classes and teachers having to juggle onsite and remote learning.

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Year 12 and 13 students will not return to Ormiston until level 2, but she said having some schools reopen while others did not would create an “uneven playing field”.

Maurie Abraham, principal of Hobsonville Point Secondary School, said he was “blindsided” by the decision.

“Every day we hear of more cases in Auckland … It’s quite alarming to think a decision has been made that is going to put the health and wellbeing of so many people at risk.”

The ministry bulletin outlines health and safety requirements for schools inviting students back. Teachers must not be associated with more than one bubble, physical distancing must be observed and hand sanitiser must be available in every classroom.

At Tuesday’s 1pm press conference, Minister for Health and Education Chris Hipkins said schools would need to apply to have students return and demonstrate they could fulfil the health and safety requirements all business must meet in alert level 3.

He said he envisaged schools would use the option “sparingly” for those students doing subjects that could not easily be done from home.

Te Pūnaha Matatini and University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank cautioned that a return to the classroom would need to be carefully managed to ensure it did not lead to another cluster.

International evidence shows teenagers can spread the virus as easily as adults, he said, and there have been several outbreaks in schools around the world.

In a second ministry bulletin on Tuesday, Secretary for Education Iona Holsted clarified the proposal was intended to give schools flexibility for a “small number” of students to return.

Principals are able to decide whether to have students back in school, depending on what is best for their school and community, she said.

“This policy is enabling, it is not a requirement.”

Some schools have welcomed the move. In an update on Auckland Grammar School’s website, headmaster Tim O’Connor thanked the ministry for “acknowledging the priority that needs to be given to all senior students”.

Dilworth School principal Dan Reddiex​ also said the school intended to allow senior students who were taking practical subjects to come back to school.

Manurewa High School principal Pete Jones said the school was talking to its community about how many students might benefit from the option of face-to-face teaching; a warm, safe space to learn; access to a device and a reliable internet connection.

Child psychiatrist and paediatrician Dr Hiran Thabrew said the return to school may prove a challenge, as well as a relief, for students getting back to old routines.

As the city went into lockdown, many young people would have experienced increased levels of anxiety, followed by boredom and frustration, he said.

That will impact students differently, and teachers need to expect a variety of reactions and identify students who are not coping early.

During the initial phases of lockdown, due to the speed and severity of restrictions, many would have experienced increased levels of anxiety, followed by boredom, frustration and reduced interaction with wider family and peers.

The principals of Ōtāhuhu College, Mt Albert Grammar School, Kelston Girls’ College, Diocesan School for Girls and Kia Aroha School expressed concerns about health and safety and the workability of the proposal, and said they would not be opening for year 12 and 13 students.

“Our children’s lives and the welfare of their families is more important than academic results right now,” Haley Milne, principal of Kia Aroha School said.

Aorere College principal Greg Pierce, who leads the AimHi cluster of nine low-decile south Auckland high schools, said while some higher decile schools might feel confident providing on-site learning, that wasn’t the case across the board.

“I see this change of policy … only going to further advantage certain types of schools and communities and disadvantage others, particularly those situated in south Auckland.”

Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) president Jack Boyle said the immediate feedback he had received from teachers was that the proposal could create a “hell of a lot of work” for teachers if they were expected to teach both in-person and remotely.

He also said schools were trying to navigate concerns in the community about how safe it was for students to return to school.

However, he said the announcement from the ministry should not be taken as an “invitation for all secondary students to show up at school”.

Rather, it should be used as an option for those students who were unable to study from home.

The ministry has been approached for comment.