Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
Catholic Education Office

Supervision of Students

Related Policies:

Legal Responsibilities and Authority
Excursions
Excursions - Overseas

Purpose:

This policy supports the Catholic Education Office's commitment to ensuring that Archdiocesan Catholic schools operate in a safe and supportive environment. It contributes to our obligation to exercise a duty of care to students and to provide sound management of Archdiocesan Catholic schools by outlining the legal requirements of Principals, teachers and authorised supervising adults, as they pertain to the supervision of students.

Policy:

Professional duty of care requires that staff exercise due diligence to ensure the safety and security of students under their supervision. Duty of care extends not only to teachers rostered on for a particular duty, but includes any teacher in, or moving through, a particular area of the schools grounds. Duty of care extends to supervision of students required to be on school grounds outside normal class times and to students participating in any approved school activity outside school grounds.

Definitions:

Supervision

Effective supervision involves enforcing the school's safety regulations and using professional judgement to foresee and to attend to reasonably foreseeable risks to students' safety.

Procedures:

All teachers are assigned to yard duties. New teachers and relief staff will be informed of arrangements before being assigned duties.

Teachers must be punctual to duties and should move around their duty area constantly. No teacher should be sitting down during a duty period.

Teachers supervising younger students must be aware that the ability to remember instructions and/or anticipate consequences is not as developed as with older students, consequently a higher degree of care is required.

All serious incidents occurring during recreation or class time must be recorded, communicated to the school administration and to parents where appropriate.

Teachers will reinforce the “no hat no play” rule at all times. It is strongly recommended that teachers on duty outside the classroom wear a hat.

If a teacher fails to present for a duty, a student or other staff member must be sent to find a replacement. The children must, under no circumstances, be left without a teacher on duty.

Teachers have the responsibility for:

• Dealing with any known unsatisfactory behaviour of students including that which has occurred as students come and go between school and home.
• Protecting the safety of students as they leave school by providing supervision if any risks are perceived.
• Ensuring that students do not leave the school grounds without authorisation.
• Performing supervision duty carefully by moving constantly and vigilantly around the supervised area.

While teachers and students often benefit from informal social contacts when supervising, attention should not be devoted to just a small group of students.

• Supervising students when boarding school buses during school hours and after school.
• Supervising children who have been required to remain after school for sports training or other events (choir practice, etc.). This supervision should last until the students have been advised to leave either the school precincts or other approved coaching venues.

In determining the level of supervision expected from each teacher, the Principal must consider several points:

• the age of the children;
• their interests and capabilities;
• the type of activity being supervised.

It is the responsibility of the Principal to ensure that the school provides a safe environment for work and recreational purposes. This includes development of clear guidelines for:

• use of equipment;
• ensuring adequate staffing provision;
• monitoring of the condition of all facilities;
• consideration of any potential dangers;
• the development of a while school commitment to the demonstration and promotion of positive behaviours in class and recreation areas (this commitment should be articulated through the whole school behaviour management process).

As appropriate, the Principal will enlist the assistance of staff members to ensure these requirements are met.

Principals have responsibility for

• Ensuring that adequate supervision is provided. Teachers can often help by assessing the real needs of the school.
• Determining the number of teachers engaged in supervision at any time. This determination is made according to the needs of the students, not for the convenience of the teachers.
• Ensuring that children are under supervision throughout the whole school day, including all recess periods.
• Sending a circular to parents at the start of each year informing them of school hours and arrangements for the supervision of students.

References:

Nil

Forms:

Nil

Last updated on December 2, 2006