Yard duty Policy

Purpose

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

Scope

The principal is responsible for ensuring that there is a well-organised and responsive system of supervision in place during school hours, and on school excursions and camps.

This policy applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff at Frankston Special Developmental School (FSDS), including education support staff, casual relief teachers, visiting teachers and volunteers. 

School staff are responsible for following reasonable and lawful instructions from the principal, including instructions to provide supervision to students at specific dates, time and places.

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.

Yard duty

Frankston Special Developmental School’s grounds are supervised by school staff during recess and lunch time playtimes. Outside of these hours, school staff are not available to supervise students unless they are out with their own students

No student is allowed to enter school grounds prior to 8.50 when the morning bell goes.  All students arriving early are required to take a seat at reception.

If a student is not collected before supervision finishes at the end of the day, the principal or nominee staff member will:

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

Yard duty

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

The assistant principal is responsible for preparing and communicating the yard duty roster on a regular basis.  Staff will be designated a specific yard duty area to supervise.

Due to construction works, the majority of the oval is unavailable. The designated yard duty areas for our school during construction are stated below:

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

During yard duty, supervising staff need to:

• methodically move around the designated zone ensuring active supervision of 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 at reception
• be alert and vigilant
• intervene immediately if potentially dangerous or inappropriate behaviour is observed in the yard
• engage with the students; play games such as football, chasey or ‘what’s the time Mr Wolf?’
• apply S-W PBS strategies to manage behaviour
• ensure there are no students in the bike shed at all times
• ensure helmets are worn when students are using bikes/scooters and trikes
• ensure that students who require first aid assistance receive it as soon as practicable
• log any incidents or near misses on Sentral

If the supervising staff member is unable to conduct yard duty at the designated time, they should contact the assistant principal with as much notice as possible prior 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 assistant principal but should not leave the designated area until the relieving staff member has arrived in the designated area.

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 relieving staff member does not arrive for yard duty, the staff member currently on duty should contact the office 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 a teacher needs to leave the classroom unattended at any time during a lesson, they should first contact the office for assistance. The teacher should then wait until another staff member has arrived at the classroom to supervise the class prior to 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 special 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

FSDS follows the Department’s Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies Policy with respect to supervision of students using digital devices.

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

Supervision of students 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
• Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request

Further Information and Resources:

• the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library (PAL):
  • Child Safe Standards
  • Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies
  • Duty of Care
  • Excursions
  • School Community Work
  • Supervision of Students
  • Visitors in Schools
  • Work Experience

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL 

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