EXCURSIONS POLICY

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Rationale:

The school's excursion program enables students to further their learning and social skills development in a non-school setting. Excursions complement, and are an important aspect of the educational programs offered at our school.

Aims:

To reinforce, complement and extend learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
To develop an understanding that learning is not limited to school, and that valuable and powerful learning takes place in the real world.

Implementation

An excursion is defined as any activity beyond the school grounds.
Categories of excursion
- Local excursion where travel is by foot
- General excursion where travel involves motorised transport
- Overnight camps (refer to Camping Policy)
A permission notice covering parental consent to attend all local excursions to be conducted during the year will be distributed in February of each year.
The schedule of excursions, including costs, will be distributed in a February edition of the school newsletter, and will be updated on a needs basis.
School Council will determine an 'Excursions Levy' each year. Parents can bulk pay for the year's excursions or pay for individual excursions as they occur. To assist in this matter, parents a have an opportunity to sign over their "EMA" cheque if applicable.
The designated Teacher in Charge of each excursion will ensure that all excursions, transport arrangements and excursion activities comply with Department of Education and Training guidelines. The "Notification of School Activity" form will be completed and forwarded to the Department of Education and Training (if required) three weeks prior to the excursion departure date.
All endeavours will be made not to exclude students for financial reasons. Parents experiencing financial difficulty, who wish for their children to attend an excursion, will be required to discuss their individual situation with the Principal. Decisions relating to alternative payment arrangements will be made by the Principal on a case-by-case basis.
All families will be given sufficient time to make payments for excursions. Parents will be sent notices before the excursion date reminding them of the need to finalise payment.
Office staff will be responsible for managing and monitoring the payments made by parents and will provide classroom teachers with detailed records on a regular basis.
A designated 'Teacher in Charge' will coordinate each excursion.
The school will continue to provide the opportunity for teachers to update their first aid skills.
The school will provide a mobile phone and a first-aid kit for all excursions.
Prior to any child attending an excursion, parents/guardians must have provided to the school a signed permission form, a signed "Confidential Medical Information for School Council Approved Excursions" form, and must have paid the costs involved.
Information will be provided to all parents of non-English speaking families in a manner that allows them to provide an informed consent to their children attending excursions.
Copies of completed Permission forms, and signed "Confidential Medical Information for School Council Approved Excursions" forms must be carried by excursion staff at all times.
A staff member will be in attendance at school when the children are returning from any excursion out of school hours excursion. The Teacher in Charge will communicate with this person with regards the anticipated return time.
When deciding on which parents will assist, the Teacher in Charge will take into account
1. Any valuable skills the parents have to offer. eg. bus licence, first aid etc
2. The need to include both male and female parents.
3. The special needs of particular students.
Parents selected to assist with an excursion may be required to provide their own transport
Only children who have displayed sensible, reliable behaviour at school will be invited to participate in school excursions. Parents will be notified if a child is in danger of losing their invitation to participate in an excursion due to poor behaviour at school. The decision to exclude a student will be made by the Principal, in consultation with the classroom teacher and the Teacher in Charge.
An excursion proforma will be completed and submitted to the Principal prior to departure and will include:
1. The educational aims and objectives of the excursion.
2. The names of all adults attending and their expertise and experience.
3. Travel arrangements and costs.
4. Venue details and an itinerary of events.
5. Procedures followed to ensure the safety of the children

Evaluation:

This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.

This policy was last ratified by School Council in.... October 2002