Education Outside the Classroom Policy

EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) Policy 

St Patrick’s Catholic School, Te Awamutu

Psalm 95: 4-5 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Quote from parent involved in the caving tragedy in Whangarei, 2023: “We send our kids on these trips believing that the school will always err on the side of caution.”

Rationale:

To use the outdoors to enrich the curriculum and provide opportunities for learning, growth, and social development

Purposes:

1)         To use the wider community beyond the school and/or the wider outdoors to enhance class programmes

2)         To provide the students with experiences of living, sharing and working together in communal situations

3)         To provide the opportunity for students to grow through participating in new experiences and to develop risk-taking skills in a safe environment

4)    To increase student engagement and build stronger learning relationships and connections with peers

Guidelines:

1. Teachers will seek permission from the principal before planning any EOTC trip or informing parents

2. One fully registered teacher will be designated as the Teacher-in-Charge of the trip. There may be some small-group trips led by a support-staff member or a parent who has been police vetted. A registered teacher will complete all paperwork and still be designated as the Teacher-in- Charge. The Teacher-in-Charge will fully brief the adult taking responsibility for the trip. Parents will always be notified when this is the case.

3. Some EOTC activities, such as local neighbourhood walks, may not require parental consent. This is at the principal’s discretion.

4. All other EOTC activities must have written parental consent. The consent slip must include the date of the trip, the mode of transport and the destination.

5. If parent transport is being used, all vehicles must be checked for current Warrant of Fitness and Registration and every driver must hold a current NZ Drivers’ Licence. Parent drivers should always have more than one child in their car, unless that one child is a family member. If the Teacher-in-Charge suspects that a parent is not safe to drive, the principal reserves the right to remove students from that parent’s car and contact the NZ Police if necessary.

6. As part of the Supervision Structure an adult:child ratio will be set by the Teacher-in-Charge. This ratio should be determined by the safety requirements and risk factors of each activity and could change throughout the day. The ratios identified in the Supervision Structure should be strictly adhered to throughout the trip.

7. A qualified First-Aider must attend every trip

8. If the activity is high-risk, the Teacher-in-Charge must complete a pre-trip site visit

9. The principal has the right to ask any parent volunteer to leave the trip if their behaviour is deemed unsafe or inappropriate. The principal also has the right to ban parents from attending future trips if they have knowledge that this parent has acted inappropriately in the past.

10. There may be instances where parents ask teachers or other staff to administer medication to their child during a school trip or camp. No medication can be given without written parent consent. If the teacher does not feel comfortable giving the medication (e.g. if the medication is to be injected), the school will request that the parent attend the event to administer the medication. If the parent is unable to do so, and no other solution can be found, the child will not be allowed to attend the trip or camp.

11. There may be instances where the Teacher-in-Charge wishes to vary the plans set out in the Safety Management Plan on the day of the trip. This should only be done if the principal approves such a change and it is safe to do so.

Further Guidelines for Overnight Trips:

1. Teachers will and seek approval from the Principal prior to planning any overnight trip.

2. All overnight trips require the Teacher-in-Charge to complete a pre-site visit to the venue, and if possible, sites of activities. 

3. There must be two teachers in attendance at every camp. One of these will be nominated as the Teacher-In-Charge.

4. After the principal has approved the idea of an overnight trip, the Teacher-In-Charge must seek approval from the Board by completing all EOTC Forms (Trip Advice, Supervision Structure, Letter to Parents, Safety Management Plan, Crisis Management Plan and Parent Supervisor Guidelines) and presenting them at a Board meeting

5. It is desirable that all students will attend camp. Students who do not attend camp may come to school and will be accommodated in another class for the duration of the camp, but the teacher is not required to provide an alternative programme for them.

6. In the event of serious disobedience, lack of cooperation or serious illness or injury, parents will be required to come to the camp and take their child home at their own cost. They will also forfeit any camp fees. Parents will be notified of this condition in writing before the commencement of camp. 

7. Parents will complete a medical needs form for their child/ren and this information will be kept on a medical register by the Teacher-In-Charge. The medical register will include an action plan agreeable to the parents of each child on the register. If parents do not complete a medical needs form the student may not attend camp. 

8. It is recognised that teachers and parent helpers are acting "in loco parentis" (in place of the parent), for the duration of camp in regards to discipline and any medical requirements / emergencies.

9. All volunteers must undergo a NZ Criminal Record check and the results from this will be taken into consideration when choosing volunteers. Decisions regarding this will be made jointly by the principal and Board Chair. All background checks are valid for three years.

10. Adults may be placed in student’s dormitories at the discretion of the Teacher-in-Charge, but no adult should sleep in a student’s dormitory or room without another adult present.

11. All volunteers must attend a Health and Safety pre-camp briefing prior to camp and must sign an Adult Volunteer Code of Conduct before attending the camp.

12. Adults who are not chosen as camp-volunteers and have not been police-vetted or attended Health and Safety Briefings are discouraged from attending camp and will not be included in camp activities. Adults who have not met these requirements will not be permitted to stay overnight.

13. The principal has the right to ask any parent volunteer to leave the camp if their behaviour is deemed unsafe or inappropriate. The principal also has the right to ban parents from attending future camps if they have knowledge that this parent has acted inappropriately in the past.

Procedures

The Teacher-in-Charge must complete the following paperwork and have it approved by the Health and Safety Committee (or the whole Board in case of an overnight trip):

·       Trip Advice

·       Supervision Structure

·       Letter to Parents

·       Safety Management Plan

·       Crisis Management Plan

·       Parent Supervisor Guidelines

As part of the Supervision Structure, the Teacher-in-Charge will identify capabilities and specifications for Parent Supervisors. These specifications must be listed on the letter that parents receive and parents who volunteer to attend the trip must meet these specifications.

A collaborative Google Doc will record any subsequent discussions, changes or decisions after the Safety Plan has been completed. (For example, if there is a change to the plan in case of inclement weather.)

Incident Management

1.     If there is an incident or injury during and EOTC event, the Teacher-in-Charge must inform the principal and must lodge the incident in the school’s  Accident Register upon their return to school

2.     All incidents and injuries should be assessed by the Teacher-in-Charge against the school’s Incident Severity Scale

3.     For any incident that rates 4 or above a Serious Injury Form must be completed by the Teacher-in-Charge and given to the Principal

4.     Any incident that rates 6 or above must be reported by the principal to Worksafe NZ

Note: all EOTC forms and the Incident Severity Scale can be found in the Staff Handbook

Ratified: 2 June 2021

Reviewed 28 June 2023

APPENDIX TO EOTC POLICY

PARENT VOLUNTEER CODE OF CONDUCT FOR SCHOOL CAMPS

This Code applies to all Parent Volunteers of St Patrick’s Catholic School, Te Awamutu who are attending a school camp. The Code must be signed before going on camp.

Parent volunteers on a St Patrick’s School Camp must:

·      Undergo a police vet check

·      Attend a parent information evening

·      Adhere to all St Patrick’s Catholic School’s policies and procedures

·      Follow all instructions given by the Teacher-In-Charge at camp or the Principal

·      Not under any circumstances consume alcohol, illegal drugs or other harmful substances

·      Not smoke or vape on or near the site where the camp is taking place

·      Role model professional behaviour and appropriate dress at all times

·      Promote the school in a positive manner, working actively to uphold the image of the school

·      Be confidential with any medical or behavioural information shared with you about the students

·      Only post pictures of your own child on Social Media sites. Parent Volunteers must not post pictures of other students on their own personal pages

·      Follow safe practices by never being a room alone with a child and not entering students’ dorm rooms unless with another adult

·      Not share details of medical events or accidents with people outside the camp unless the principal has given permission to do so

·      Not touch students in an unprofessional or inappropriate way. This includes touching such as hugging, tickling or massaging. There is no need to touch a student unless they are injured and require assistance or comfort

·      Report any concerns (about students or adults) immediately to the Teacher-In-Charge

·      Use common sense to call off an activity that you deem too dangerous to go ahead with, even if there is an instructor present

If for any reason this Code of Conduct is not upheld the principal has the right to ask you to leave the EOTC event. The principal also has the right to ban you from attending future EOTC activities.

Full name:

Signed:

Date: