Help for non-English speakers

If you need help to understand the information in this policy, please contact Beaufort Secondary College.

 

Purpose

To ensure school staff understand their supervision and yard duty responsibilities. 

Scope

This policy applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff at Beaufort Secondary College, including education support staff, casual relief teachers and visiting teachers.   

Policy

Appropriate supervision is an important strategy to monitor student behaviour and enables staff to identify and respond to possible risks at school as they arise. It also plays a vital role in helping schools to discharge their duty of care to students.

The principal is responsible for ensuring that there is a well organised and responsive system of supervision and yard duty in place during school hours, before and after school, and on school excursions and camps and other school activities.

School staff are responsible for following reasonable and lawful instructions from the principal, including instructions to provide supervision to students at specific dates, times and places. Supervision should be undertaken in a way that identifies and mitigates risks to child safety. 

Before and after school

Beaufort Secondary College’s grounds are supervised by school staff from 8:30am until 3:40pm or until the last bus departs. The school principal will allocate one teacher for morning supervision of the school grounds and two teachers for afternoon supervision of the bus shelter area. Outside of these hours, school staff will not be available to supervise students. Should a teacher be called away to other duties, alternate supervision arrangements will be put in place in consultation with the principal.

This information is provided to parents/guardians on a regular basis via the school newsletter.

If a student arrives at school before supervision commences at the beginning of the day, the principal or nominee staff member will, as soon as practicable, follow up with the parent/carer to:

  • advise of the supervision arrangements before school

request that the parent/carer make alternate arrangements.

If a student is not collected before supervision finishes at the end of the day, the Principal or nominee staff member will consider whether it is appropriate to:

  • attempt to contact the parents/carers
  • attempt to contact the emergency contacts
  • contact Victoria Police and/or Child Protection to arrange for the supervision, care and protection of the student.

Yard duty

All teaching staff at Beaufort Secondary College are expected to assist with yard duty supervision and will be included in the weekly roster.

The Principal or Daily Organiser is responsible for preparing and communicating the yard duty roster on a regular basis.  At Beaufort Secondary College, teaching staff will be designated a specific yard duty area to supervise.

 

 

Yard duty zones

Zone

Area

Zone 1

The teacher in Zone 1 is responsible for the out of bounds area visible from inside the canteen.

Zone 2

The teacher in Zone 2 is responsible for monitoring the landing on the southside of the Green Building outside the dining room and the Ag Shed area.

Zone 3

The teacher in Zone 3 is responsible for the area between the gym and the primary tennis courts.

 

Yard duty equipment 

School staff must:

  • Be familiar with the staff handbook and any responsibilities associated with the role
  • Carry their mobile phone at all times during their yard duty shift

 

Yard duty responsibilities 

Staff who are rostered for yard duty must remain in the designated area until they are replaced by a relieving staff member.

 

During yard duty, supervising school staff must:

  • methodically move around the designated zone ensuring active supervision of all students
  • where safe to do so, approach any unknown visitor who is observed on school grounds without a clear legitimate purpose, and ensure they have a visitor pass and have signed in (excluding drop off and collection periods) 
  • be alert and vigilant
  • intervene immediately if potentially dangerous or inappropriate behaviour is observed in the yard
  • enforce behavioural standards and implement appropriate consequences for breaches of safety rules
  • ensure that students who require first aid assistance receive it as soon as practicable
  • log any incidents or near misses as appropriate on Compass to be followed up as necessary.

 

If being relieved of their yard duty shift by another staff member (for example, where the shift is ‘split’ into 2 consecutive time periods), the staff member must ensure that a brief, but adequate verbal ‘handover’ is given to the relieving staff member in relation to any issues which may have arisen during the first shift.

 

If the supervising staff member is unable to conduct yard duty at the designated time, they should contact the Daily Organiser with as much notice as possible prior to the relevant yard duty shift to ensure that alternative arrangements are made.

 

If the supervising staff member needs to leave yard duty during the allocated time, they should contact the Daily Organiser but should not leave the designated area until the relieving staff member has arrived in the designated area.

 

If the relieving staff member  does not arrive for yard duty, the staff member currently on duty should contact the Daily Organiser and not leave the designated area until a relieving staff member has arrived.

 

Students will be encouraged to speak to the supervising yard duty staff member if they require assistance during recess or lunchtime.

 

Classroom

 

The classroom teacher is responsible for the supervision of all students in their care during class.

 

If students are asked to leave the class, notes will be written up on compass and the teacher will follow up with the student at the appropriate time.

 

If a teacher needs to leave the classroom unattended at any time during a lesson, they should ensure another teacher is able to supervise in their absence. The teacher should then wait until a replacement staff member has arrived at the classroom before leaving. 

 

School activities, camps and excursions

The Principal and leadership team are responsible for ensuring that students are appropriately supervised during all school activities, camps and excursions, including when external providers are engaged to conduct part or all of the activity. Appropriate supervision will be planned for school activities, camps and excursions on an individual basis, depending on the activities to be undertaken and the level of potential risk involved., and will follow the supervision requirements in the Department of Education and Training Excursions Policy.

 

Digital devices and virtual classroom

Beaufort Secondary College follows the Department’s Cyber-safety and Responsible Use of Technologies Policy with respect to supervision of students using digital devices.

 

Beaufort Secondary College will also ensure appropriate supervision of students participating in remote and flexible learning environments while on school site. Where required, students will be supervised in the school library or the technology room.

 

 While parents are responsible for the appropriate supervision of students accessing virtual classrooms from home:

  • student attendance will be monitored for each class
  • any wellbeing or safety concerns for the student will be managed in accordance with our usual processes – refer to our Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy and our Child Safety Responding and Reporting Policy and Procedures for further information. 

 

Students requiring additional supervision support

Sometimes students will require additional supervision, such as students with disability or other additional needs. In these cases, the Principal or delegate will ensure arrangements are made to roster additional staff as required. This may include on yard duty, in the classroom or during school activities.

 

Workplace learning programs

When students are participating in workplace learning programs, such as work experience, school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, and structured workplace learning, the safety and welfare of the student is paramount.  Organising staff are required to follow all applicable Department of Education and Training policies and guidelines in relation to off-site learning, including policy and guidelines on the safety and wellbeing of students. Refer to:

 

  • Structure Workplace Learning
  • School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships
  • Work Experience
  • School Community Work

 

Independent Study

 

Students are not required to be supervised during hours of independent study and may work from home once they have signed out at the office.

 

Supervision of student in emergency operating environments

 

In emergency circumstances our school will follow our Emergency Management Plan, including with respect to supervision.

 

In the event of any mandatory period of remote or flexible learning our School will follow the operations guidance issued by the Department.

 

COMMUNICATION

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways

Included in staff induction processes

Discussed at staff briefings or meetings, as required

Included in our staff handbook

 

Information for parents and students on supervision before and after school is available on our school website and parent reminders are sent at the beginning of each term in our school newsletter.

Further Information and Resources

  • the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library (PAL):
  • Child Safe Standards
  • Cyber-safety and Responsible Use of Technologies
  • Duty of Care
  • Excursions
  • School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships
  • School Community Work
  • Structured Workplace Learning
  • Supervision of Students
  • Visitors in Schools
  • Work Experience

 

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL 

Policy last reviewed

2nd November 2022

Approved by

Principal

Next scheduled review date

November 2024


 This policy will also be updated if significant changes are made to school grounds that require a revision of Beaufort Secondary College’s yard duty and supervision arrangements.