Yard Duty and Supervision Policy

Help for non-English speakers

If you need help to understand this policy, please contact the office on 9560 6371 or glen.waverley.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Purpose

To ensure school staff understand their supervision and yard duty responsibilities.  

Scope

This policy applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff at Glen Waverley South Primary School, including education support staff, casual relief teachers and visiting teachers.   

Policy

Appropriate supervision is an important strategy to monitor student behaviour and enables staff to identify and respond to possible risks at school as they arise. It also plays a vital role in helping schools to discharge their duty of care to students.

The Principal is responsible for ensuring that there is a well organised and responsive system of supervision and yard duty in place during school hours, before and after school, and on school excursions and camps and other school activities.

School staff are responsible for following reasonable and lawful instructions from the Principal, including instructions to provide supervision to students at specific dates, times and places. Supervision should be undertaken in a way that identifies and mitigates risks to child safety.

Before and after school

Glen Waverley South Primary School’s grounds are supervised by school staff from 8.45am until 3.45pm. Outside of these hours, school staff will not be available to supervise students.

Parents and carers will be advised through the newsletter and Compass posts, that they should not allow their children to attend Glen Waverley South Primary School outside of these hours. Families will be encouraged to contact Karen Borsato on 0409 168 410 or email ohsc.glen.waverley.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community.

If a student arrives at school before supervision commences at the beginning of the day, the Principal or nominee staff member will, as soon as practicable, follow up with the parent/carer to:

• advise of the supervision arrangements before school
• request that the parent/carer make alternate arrangements.

If a student is not collected before supervision finishes at the end of the day, the Principal or nominee staff member will consider whether it is appropriate to:

• attempt to contact the parents/carers
• attempt to contact the emergency contacts 
• place the student in an out of school hours care program (at the cost to the parent)
• contact Victoria Police and/or Child Protection to arrange for the supervision, care and protection of the student.

Yard duty

All staff at Glen Waverley South Primary School are expected to assist with yard duty supervision and will be included in the weekly roster.

The Assistant Principal is responsible for preparing and communicating the yard duty roster on a regular basis.  At Glen Waverley South Primary School, staff will be designated a specific yard duty area to supervise.

Yard duty zones

The designated yard duty areas for our school

Zone	Area
Front	Quiet area, front of school, in between buildings and basketball/netball courts
Back	Playgrounds and oval

 

Yard duty equipment

School staff must:

• wear a provided safety/hi-vis vest whilst on yard duty. Safety/hi-vis vests will be stored in the general office
• carry the yard duty first aid bag at all times during supervision. The yard duty first aid bag will be stored in the general office
• Be familiar with the yard duty information pack containing student health and safety information stored in first aid bags and in sick bay
• carry a walkie talkie to communicate with the First Aid person

Yard duty responsibilities

Staff who are rostered for yard duty must remain in the designated area until they are replaced by a relieving staff member.

During yard duty, supervising school staff must:

• methodically move around the designated zone ensuring active supervision of all students
• where safe to do so, approach any unknown visitor who is observed on school grounds without a clear legitimate purpose, and ensure they have a visitor badge and have signed in (excluding drop off and collection periods)
• ensure students remain in their designated playground zones
• 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 Wellbeing and Engagement policy
• ensure that students who require first aid assistance receive it as soon as practicable
• log any incidents or near misses as appropriate on Compass.

If being relieved of their yard duty shift by another staff member (for example, where the shift is ‘split’ into 2 consecutive time periods), the staff member must ensure that a brief but adequate verbal ‘handover’ is given to the relieving 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 the relieving staff member does not arrive for yard duty, the staff member currently on duty should send a message to the office or call Assistant Principal, and not leave the designated area until a relieving staff member has arrived.

Students will be encouraged to speak to the supervising yard duty staff member if they require assistance during recess or lunchtime.

Classroom

The classroom teacher is responsible for the supervision of all students in their care during class.

If a teacher needs to leave the classroom unattended at any time during a lesson, they should first contact a year level teacher or Assistant Principal for assistance. The teacher should then wait until a replacement staff member has arrived at the classroom before leaving. 

School activities, camps and excursions

The Principal and Assistant Principal are responsible for ensuring that students are appropriately supervised during all school activities, camps and excursions, including when external providers are engaged to conduct part or all of the activity. Appropriate supervision will be planned for school activities, camps and excursions on an individual basis, depending on the activities to be undertaken and the level of potential risk involved, and will follow the supervision requirements in the Department of Education and Training Excursions Policy.

Digital devices and virtual classroom

Glen Waverley South Primary School follows the Department’s Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies Policy with respect to supervision of students using digital devices.

Glen Waverley South Primary School will also ensure appropriate supervision of students participating in remote and flexible learning environments while on school site. In these cases, students will be supervised.

Students requiring additional supervision support

Sometimes students will require additional supervision, such as students with disability or other additional needs. In these cases, the Principal or delegate will ensure arrangements are made to roster additional staff as required. This may include on yard duty, in the classroom or during school activities.

Supervision of student in emergency operating environments

In emergency circumstances our school will follow our Emergency Management Plan, including with respect to supervision.

In the event of any mandatory period of remote or flexible learning our School will follow the operations guidance issued by the Department.

COMMUNICATION

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways: 

• Included in staff induction processes 
• Discussed at staff briefings or meetings, as required
• Included as a reference in our school newsletter each term
• Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request

Information for parents and students on supervision before and after school is available on our school website and parent reminders are sent at the beginning of each term in our school newsletter.

Further Information and Resources

• the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library (PAL):
  • Child Safe Standards
  • Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies
  • Duty of Care
  • Excursions
  • Supervision of Students
  • Visitors in Schools

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL 

Policy last reviewed	July 2024
Approved by	Principal
Next scheduled review date	July 2026

 

This policy will also be updated if significant changes are made to school grounds that require a revision of Glen Waverley South Primary School’s yard duty and supervision arrangements.