Camps & excursions guidelines for schools and preschools

FORMS

Accident report form (ED155M): www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/ED_155_Accident_Report.pdf.

Application to Conduct An Excursion form (ED169): http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/Ed169ExcursionProforma.doc.
Carrying Passengers in Government Vehicles’ form: www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Carrying_Passengers_in_Gov.doc.
Excursion/Camp Consent form (ED170): http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/CampsandExcursionsConsent.doc
DECS Overseas Travel Policy and Overseas Group Travel Application: www.internationalstudents.sa.edu.au/default.asp?navgrp=home&id=travel_international
Trip Intentions Form ‘Let Us Know Before You Go’: www.parks.sa.gov.au/publish/groups/public/@parks/documents/all/parks_pdfs_let_us_know_form.pdf

1. CAMPS AND EXCURSIONS IN THE CURRICULUM

1.1 Introduction

These guidelines are a supplement to the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) Administrative Instructions and Guidelines (AIGs) and its Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare (OHS&W) Manual. It provides a framework for individuals to move safely and effectively beyond the school or preschool setting and participate in the great array of learning experiences offered within the community and natural environment. The booklet is relevant across the curriculum, from Preschool to year 12.

The procedures described must form the basis of planning for all camps, excursions and related activities to ensure safe, enjoyable and challenging learning for all students/children. Their safety must be the paramount consideration. The welfare of teachers, instructors and other involved must also be of primary importance.
A duty of care, as outlined in section 1/97 of the AIGs, underpins this document and determines many of the safety precautions described. Teachers and others should also be familiar with the curriculum area-specific requirements outlined in the OHS&W Manual. As mentioned in that publication, whenever they are in doubt, employees should consult their supervisors or seek advice from their workplace health and safety representatives and their more experienced colleagues.
It is important that educators know that Section 22 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful for a school or preschool to discriminate against a student/child on the grounds of the student/child’s disability, by denying the student/child access, or limiting the student/child’s access to any benefit, such as a school camp, provided by that school or preschool.
The Disability Standards for Education 2005, in particular the Standard for Participation and the Standard for Curriculum Development, Accreditation and Delivery, strengthen the obligation of schools and preschools to ensure that off-site activities are designed to include students/children with disabilities.
Activities and practices must also reflect the National Junior Sports Policy (available at: http://www.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/1994/ascpub/junior_policy.pdf), which incorporates guidelines for the development of junior sport in South Australia. This document provides a national context for matters such as roles of teachers and coaches and participants’ rights and responsibilities. It also presents a useful model for safely relating activities to student/child development levels.

1.2 Status of guidelines and instructions

These guidelines include a number of instructions, which are prefixed with ‘must’, ‘will’ and ‘shall’ or described in terms of ‘required’. These are clearly indicated. They are compulsory and must be adopted, as they indicate essential requirements for safe practice and often reflect state law, such as the Education Act, Children's Services Act and the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act.

Other guidelines are typically prefixed with words such as ‘should’, ‘suggested’ and ‘recommended’. They indicate that principals/preschool directors and teachers need to assess particular circumstances before choosing a course of action. Compliance with guidelines is recommended for the safe conduct of activities. These guidelines for safe practice embody departmental policy and an extensive range of expert advice.
When planning camps and excursions, principals/preschool directors and teachers may need to adapt guidelines according to a number of variables. For instance, leadership team-to-student/child ratios may need to be higher than those recommended depending on factors such as the age and nature of the student/child group, students’/children's special needs (eg health care) and local conditions, including terrain and weather.

1.3 Rationale

The South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework and the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) emphasise learning in the following ways:

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  through and for personal and social action
  
• 
  within and about wider community
  
• 
  with practical applications
  

Activities such as camps and excursions can greatly enhance the progress of this learning, offering new, varied, challenging and practical experiences across the learning areas. In many instances these can become some of a student’s/child's most significant and meaningful educational experiences. All teachers should therefore seek to schedule such experiences in their educational programs. Of course, learning must occur in a safe environment, which can best be achieved by thought and preparation based on sound planning and the information presented in this document.

1.4 Structure

Sections 1–5 of the Camps & Excursions Guidelines for Schools and Preschools focus on the role and responsibilities of the school/preschool community, touching on major aspects such as duty of care and hazard assessment procedures. Sections 6–8 describe arrangements for specific camps, excursions and related activities, including appropriate age levels of participating students/children, qualifications and skills of teachers, supervisors and specialist instructors, safety precautions and supervision ratios. These descriptions are designed as ready-references and should not be used in isolation from the rest of the text. Core information common to many activities is repeated, so it can be found more quickly. Activities are listed in alphabetical order.