Time is against Auckland principals as they work to get students back in the classroom

Primary and intermediate schools in level three areas are being told to prepare to re-open on November 15, but it's not set in stone.

President of Auckland Primary Principal's Association Stephen Lethbridge says it's a challenging date to work towards.

But, he says many schools want to send off their year six and eight students before they go to intermediate or high school.

Lethbridge says if there's a way they can get those students back so they have effective transitions, they will pull out all the stops ... as long as it mitigates risk.