This policy primarily outlines the principles and procedures for staff undertaking the supervision of students in the playground during non-instructional time. This policy also refers to the supervision given to students whilst they are on excursions, in out-of-school locations, and to that given in classrooms.

SCOPE
This policy applies to Years P – 12 and to learning experiences outside of school grounds.

INTRODUCTION
Playground supervision is officially seen as an important part of the total responsibility of a teacher. From a professional point of view, playground supervision should be viewed, not as an irksome extra duty, but rather as an opportunity to study the childish wildlife of the college, in its own natural habitat. For alert teachers, who keep their eyes and ears open, playground supervision can yield valuable psychological and sociological data to support their formal classroom observations and evaluations. Thus the provision of playground supervision is an essential component of a college exercising its duty of care towards its students.

The duty of care is defined in terms of the duty to take reasonable care to avoid harm being suffered by a student. It is not a duty to insure against all possibility of accident, but rather, to take reasonable care to avoid harm being suffered. The standard of care expected of a teacher or teacher-aide on playground supervision, is that of a careful or reasonable parent. This necessity to provide a duty of care arises because during school hours or whenever it can be said that a teacher/pupil relationship exists, the teacher stands in place of the parent in providing reasonable care for the child (in loco parentis).

Thus teachers should endeavour at all times to provide a reasonable duty of care to the pupils under their supervision such as a NORMAL PARENT would provide.

SOME SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
IN THE CLASSROOM
Teachers should be vigilant and be prepared to intervene to terminate any potentially dangerous student misbehaviour, confiscate any dangerous objects and avoid leaving anything lying around in the classroom (which includes, art rooms, library, assembly room etc) that may be a hazard. Any defects in classroom fittings or structures should be reported to the administrator.

THE COLLEGE PREMISES
Teachers should be alert to any structural defects that may pose a potential threat to the safety of students and should inform the Property Manager of any they find. This should apply to anything which may be apparent to the teacher as likely to cause an accident in the future or some poorly designed feature.

EARLY RELEASE OF STUDENTS
Students should not be released early from class into the playground before the scheduled recess time.

EXCURSIONS
Teachers should be thoroughly familiar with the college excursion policy.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES
Teachers should ensure that adequate instruction is given in the various aspects of the game/sport, particularly those likely to expose students to the risk of injury.

ERRANDS
It is permissible for teachers to send students on official and personal errands within the college. The sending of students on personal errands outside the college should be avoided. Teachers should ensure the maturity of the student is commensurate with the nature of the errand and should provide any instructions necessary to minimise risk.

TEACHERS PRIVATE CAR USE TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS
The transport of students using a teacher’s own private vehicle should be restricted to those circumstances, where reasons of urgency and unavailability of other forms of transport necessitate such transport arrangements. This would normally apply to transport to and from official college activities eg., sporting fixtures, musicals, plays etc.

For non-official activities, teachers should avoid transporting students. Teachers should understand that they undertake transporting students to unofficial events at their own risk and that any claim that may result from an injury to a student, would involve the teacher’s Third Party Insurance Cover.

If students are transported in a teacher’s car, it is important for teachers to avoid conveying only one student, especially if that student is of the opposite gender to the teacher.

FIRST AID ASSISTANCE
In the event of an accident, the teacher should be responsible for doing what they can to administer basic first aid, while sending for more competent assistance. A lack of expert first aid qualifications should not render a teacher liable in the event of complications, because the teacher would have acted in ‘good faith’ and ‘reasonably’.