Onsite Supervision Policy

Purpose

Adequate supervision of students in the school yard is a requirement of the school’s duty of care.  The school will normally satisfy the duty of care for the on-site management of students outside normal timetabled class time by allocating responsibilities for supervision to different staff.  The Principal/Assistant Principal is responsible for making and administering such arrangements for supervision as are necessary according to the circumstances in the school, and staff are responsible for carrying out their assigned supervisory duties in such a way that students are, as far as can be reasonably expected, protected from injury.  This duty extends to intervention in single-sex areas if need be by a teacher of the other gender.

Policy

As part of its duty of care the school is required to adequately supervise students for a defined period before school; at recess time and lunch time; and after school.  This on-site supervision requires not only protection from known hazards, but also protection from those that could arise (that is, those the teacher should reasonably have foreseen) and against which preventive measures could be taken.

It is essential parents/carers are kept informed as to when supervision of students is available before and after school, and that outside these times supervision and/or the collection of students is the responsibility of parents/carers. This information should be clearly provided to parents/guardians on a regular basis

Implementation

Supervision before and after school: The school will provide staff supervision for students arriving before school between 8.45am and 9.00am.  The school will provide staff supervision for students after school between 3.30pm and 3.45pm.  This information is provided to parents/guardians on a regular basis via the school newsletter. Outside of these times the supervision and/or the collection of students is the responsibility of parents/guardians. Sufficient teachers will be allocated by the school principal or their nominee to supervise students during these periods.

In determining whether supervision of students entering or exiting the school is adequate, the principal or their nominee will consider a number of factors including:

• which entry/exit points should be or are used by students
• whether any entry or exit points should be locked, designated as out of bounds, or supervised
• road traffic conditions
• designated pick up and drop off areas.

Unauthorised student departure from school     When a student departs from the school (following initial attendance) without authorisation, the parent/guardian will be informed immediately. Where there is reasonable concern for the student’s safety or the safety of others, immediate contact will also be made with the police and the Department’s Emergency and Security Management Branch, telephone 9589 6266 (24 hr)

Early departure of students prior to dismissal time

Students must be signed out of the school if departing prior to dismissal time.   A record of early departures is to be kept in the Administration Office and completed for all students departing the school early.  Details will include the student’s name, grade, the time of departure and the name of the person collecting the student.

• No parents/carers are permitted to take students directly from the classroom without an ‘early departure slip’ signed by a staff member.
• Students can only be collected by a parent/guardian 16 years and over.
• No students will be sent home on their own outside of normal dismissal time.

Arrangements for students not collected after school

Parents/guardians will be informed when supervision of students is available before and after school hours and that supervision outside of these times and/or the collection of students is the responsibility of parents/guardians. Students arriving in the school yard without adult supervision prior to 8.45 will be placed in the Before School Care Program. Students remaining in the school yard awaiting collection after 3.45pm will be directed to the Front Office area. A phone call will be made to parents and students will be placed into the After School Care Program.

If a student remains uncollected from school or the After School Care Program and all reasonable attempts have been made to locate the parents/guardian and the emergency contact persons, and the time is well beyond a reasonable time for collection, consideration will be given to contacting the police or the Department of Human Services and for them to arrange for the care and protection of the student.

Supervision at recesses and lunch time

Students are required to be adequately supervised during recesses and lunch times.  In order to ensure that students are adequately supervised, a ‘Yard Duty Roster’ will be created each term allocating teachers to supervise students in defined areas of the school grounds during these times.  Details of the roster are communicated to teachers at staff meetings, via email, through daily bulletin and via the staff noticeboard.

During yard duty, supervising staff must:

• methodically move around the designated zone
• be alert and vigilant
• intervene immediately if potentially dangerous or inappropriate behaviour is observed in the yard
• enforce behavioural standards and implement appropriate consequences for breaches of safety rules, in accordance with any relevant disciplinary measures set out in the school’s Student Engagement and Inclusion policy
• ensure that students who require first aid assistance receive it as soon as practicable
• log any incidents or near misses as appropriate
• if being relieved of their yard duty shift by another staff member (for example, where the shift is ‘split’ into 2 consecutive time periods), ensure that a brief but adequate verbal ‘handover’ is given to the next staff member in relation to any issues which may have arisen during the first shift.

If the supervising staff member is unable to conduct yard duty at the designated time, they should contact the Assistant Principal with as much notice as possible prior to the relevant yard duty shift to ensure that alternative arrangements are made.

If the supervising staff member needs to leave yard duty during the allocated time, they should contact the Assistant Principal but should not leave the designated area until the relieving staff member has arrived in the designated area.

If a relieving or next staff member does not arrive for yard duty, the staff member currently on duty should send a message to the office/call Assistant Principal, and not leave the designated area until a replacement staff member has arrived.

Should students require assistance during recess or lunchtime, they are encouraged to speak to the supervising yard duty staff member.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Related Policies:             
Duty Of Care Policy
Visitors & Volunteers Policy
Child Safe Standards

Review cycle

This policy was last ratified by School Council on 27/07/2020 and will be reviewed as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.