Western Australian Excursions: Off School Site Activities Policy

EDP120 Introduction to Teaching WA Excursion Policy Off dribble aim site activities document analysis This intention of this report is to analyse the westbound Australian (WA) Excursions Off coach site activities redress policy document and handle action plans for three say-so scenarios. Effective 1 July 2003, ( horse opera Australian section of reading, (WA DoE), 2003) the rationale behind the policy is to set out and provide principals, instructors, and supervisors from some(prenominal) government and toffee-nosedly run nurtures with unchanging, comprehensive standards and expectations whilst being off school grounds.The WA school diversion policy, written by the horse opera Australian subdivision of Education recognises that a well aforethought(ip), properly managed and curriculum line up off site school excursion can contribute to the breedingal benefits for a educatee. (WA DoE, 2003, p. 4 2. 1) With an excursion not being a unfluctuating occurrence in a s chool year, and therefore a pas seul to the routine of a typical school day. It is essential to note that with each variation to a routine and environment, that there is an increase in the potential of put on the lines and hazards. WA DoE, 2003, p. 4 2. 1) Especi onlyy, when scholars ar in the public atomic number 18na and the actions of others cannot be determined. In addition, schools nominate a moral obligation to provide a profession of care to their students on and offsite school grounds. The care provided by the instructor/s-in-charge essentially needs to be increased in relation to these newfound potential risks. ( department of Education, readying, and Employment, (DETE), 2013) Hence, the importance of utilise such a policy in todays teaching environment.With the discipline and safety of students being paramount, schools are bound by common law to protect students, teachers, and others. (DETE, 2013). It is therefore not only health and safety concerns of students , but a legal indispensableness to demonstrate that an excursions are planned efficiently, managed and risk assessed. (Tronc, K. 2004) In the event of an tweak, effective planning minimises the risk of confusion and empowers teachers to make inform decisions.Furthermore, by adhering to the key points in the WA school excursion policy, the school is thus reducing the chances of a costly and lengthy litigation if a court deems that the school has not breached its duties. (Tronc, K. 2004). Key points of the policy include breeding on assessing risks in relation to the environment of the excursion, tape driveation of participants, a students power in relation to health, skill level and cultural sine qua nons, establishing the skills of the supervisor/supervisory team and competency levels of involvement by external providers.The policy therefore(prenominal) provides guidelines on establishing supervision strategies, providing selective information and seeking consent from kind les, developing talk strategies, emergency response planning, briefing students and supervisors, records that need to be retained, gaining approvals for excursions whether it be interstate highway or international and then makes note on privately consistent activities. Scenario One The parents of a student are experiencing fiscal difficulties and cannot afford to profit for their child to participate in the excursion.Whilst the policy does not give give the axe pertaining to financial misfortune, the policy does clearly state, Where financial hardship is infrastood to be the agreement for a students non-participation, schools should endeavour to provide financial tending. (WA DoE, 2003, p. 11) It would be fair however to assume, that before an excursion is planned that the related costs would have already been deemed as liable and affordable and admired by the principal to al pocket-size students to participate. (NSW Government, Education & Communities, 2009).Hence, it wo uld stand to reason that if a parent was under financial burden due to the excursion, then the appropriate course of action would be to discuss their effrontery speckle with the principal to obtain available financial assistance. The issues with the policy regarding financial assistance is that there are no formal guidelines as to determining eligibility requirements, nor as to how much assistance should be provided and what would indeed be deemed financial hardship in the policy. Based on this lack of counseling it would be reasonable to expect that the principal would determine the assistance level based on the severity of hardship.However, the foreseeable issue with this is that parents/guardians could place undue burden adventure on the school for ongoing assistance or indeed take advantage of the funding available. Interestingly to note The ACT Government provides information on their information portal website regarding financial assistance for families and they determine low income status by photocopying a government issued health care humour or Centrelink card as these are means tested. (ACT Government, Education and Training Directorate, 2013, para. 7) Scenario TwoA student is injured during a crystalize excursion to the museum. The student is under the care of a parent helper and requires medical assistance. Assuming that the excursion does not require an overnight stay and the parent teacher has been given the relevant approvals by the principal and/or teacher-in-charge (WA DoE, 2003 p. 14, 3. 10. 1). The teacher-in-charge would have already deemed that the parent helper has a working with children check or completed a Confidential Declaration, has the skills to perform a supervisory role and to manage an emergency should one arise. (WA DoE, 2003, p. 8, 3. 2. ) Prior to the commencement of the excursion a risk judging and counseling plan would have been arranged and discussed in some full stop with the staff and education ships officer at the museum. At the point of being alerted to the injury the supervisor would signal to the group of students the emergency signal that was communicated and dear prior to arriving at the museum. (WA DoE, 2003, p. 12, 3. 6). Being that the museum has recommended student to supervisor ratios and does not offer supervision whilst on the excursions ( westbound Australian Museum, Government of westbound Australia, 2013b, p. ) the parent helper will not be able to cave in the students alone to seek medical attention as this would be absent to the other students being left unsupervised. The museum according to their excursion essentials information cusp expects the teacher-in-charge to bring their own first aid supplies. ( horse opera Australian Museum, Government of Western Australia, 2013a, p. 4) Depending on the nature of the injury the parent helper or teacher-in-charge would cope basic first aid and if possible with the assistance and/or guidance of the museums Senior First Aid tr ained Visitor Service Officer. Western Australian Museum, Government of Western Australia, 2013b, p. 3) If urgent medical attention should be required, it would be at the discretion of the trained first aid officer and/or parent/guardian once notified and medical appointments would be at the discretion of the parent/guardian as costs associated with the accident are the parent/guardians responsibility WA DoE, 2003, p. 25, Appendix E). During this time, the parent helper would have had access to the management plan that alike includes student health forms and student emergency contact information, (WA DoE, 2003, p. 2, 3. 7) Either the parent helper or the teacher-in-charge would skirt and advise the parent/guardian and would then contact the principal. Being a museum that is a government owned building, the museum is fully compliant with the public financial obligation insurance requirements (WA DoE. Page 9, 3. 2. 5, 2003). Scenario Three Three students miss the bus for their clas s excursion. The school principal asks you a (teacher) to transport the three students to the excursion using your private vehicle.As part of the duty of care of students, it is reasonable for a teacher to transport students in the event that they miss the bus for an excurison. However, according to the policy document guidelines Private vehicles should only be used when there is no other option. (WA DoE, 2003 p. 7, 3. 2. 2) As the principal has asked you, as a teacher to transport the students it would be fair to determine that all other avenues had been previously exhausted. It should also be noted, that it would not be reasonable to assume that a student could make their own way to the excursion without being at risk of injury or danger.The duty of care for a student is not limited to the school grounds and may require a higher(prenominal) level of duty of care than that of a parents duty of care. ( association of Independent Schools, (AISSA) 2000) It would be good practice, not necessarily a requirement of the policy to contact the parent/guardian to inform them that the student had confused the bus and to advise them that they would be travelling with a teacher in a private vehicle. The implications of not informing the parent/guardian could be far reaching, as the parent/guardian may not approve the transport by a teacher in a private vehicle.The teacher-in-charge of the excursion also has a responsibility and could be held liable, to ensure that you the teacher, impulsive the private vehicle has comprehensive private motor vehicle insurance and the vehicle complies with the Road Traffic Act 1974. (WA DoE. Page 7, 3. 2. 2, 2003) Conclusion In conclusion, all schools have a duty of care to the teachers, students, and others whilst onsite and offsite school grounds. A breach in a duty of care can way out in a costly and lengthy legal negligence case.Hence, all teachers that supervise students have a moral and legal liability to be concerned for the wel fare and safety of students. By adhering to the policy guidelines, this allows for a consistent approach to the welfare and safety of participants whilst on excursions. Furthermore, completing risk assessments and management plans, allows teachers to be empowered and to assess potential risks and avoid foreseeable and avertible injuries. References ACT Government, Education and Training Directorate. (2013) Financial Assistance for families. Retrieved from http//www. det. act. gov. u/school_education/starting_school/financial_assistance_for_families Association of Independent Schools. (AISSA) (2000). Year 2000 Ncisa Conference, The duty of care of schools. Retrieved from http//www. ais. sa. edu. au/resources/Duty%20of%20Care%20of%20Schools. pdf Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE). (2013). School Excursions. Queensland Queensland Government. Retrieved from http//ppr. det. qld. gov. au/education/management/Pages/School-Excursions. aspx NSW Government, Education & Co mmunities. (2009) Excursions Policy Implementation Procedures. New South Wales. NSW Government.Retrieved from https//www. det. nsw. edu. au/policies/student_admin/excursions/excursion_pol/implementation_1_PD20040010. shtml? query=excursions face pack N Go Educational Tourism. (2011) Why school should have education trips? Retrieved from http//www. educationaltourism. org/why-us. html Tronc, K. (2004). Schools and the law closing the rhetoric and reality gap. The Practising Administrator. Vol. 26, no. 1, p. 22-24. Western Australian Museum, Government of Western Australia (2013a) Excursion Essentials. Retrieved from http//museum. wa. gov. au/explore/education/perth/excursion-essentialsWestern Australian Museum, Government of Western Australia (2013b) Excursion Management Plan 2013 Western Australian Museum Perth. Retrieved from http//museum. wa. gov. au/explore/education/perth/excursion-management-plan-2013-western-australian-museum-perth Western Australian Department of Educatio n (WA DoE). (2003). Excursions off school site activities. Western Australia Department of Education. Retrieved from http//www. det. wa. edu. au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/policies/excursions-off-school-site-activities. en? oid=au. edu. wa. det. cms. contenttypes. Policy-id-11684723