Help for non-English speakers
If you need help to understand the information in this policy, please contact Traralgon (Stockdale Road) Primary School on 03 5174 1607 or traralgon.ps.stockdale@education.vic.gov.au.
Purpose
To ensure school staff understand their supervision and yard duty responsibilities.
Scope
This policy applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff at Stockdale Road Primary School, 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
Stockdale Road Primary School’s grounds are supervised by school staff from 8:45am until 3:45pm. Outside of these hours, school staff will not be available to supervise students.
Parents and carers will be advised through a notification on our school website, regular reminders in our newsletter and on Compass that they should not allow their children to attend Stockdale Road Primary School outside of these hours. Families will be encouraged to contact refer to the Camp Australia website for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community.
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
- place the student in an out of school hours care program (if available and the parent consents)
- 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 Stockdale Road Primary School 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. At Stockdale Road Primary School, school staff will be designated a specific yard duty area to supervise.
The designated yard duty areas for our school as at Term 3 2021 are:
| Zone | Area |
| Area 1 | Lower area of school including eating area near office, the fairy garden, around the teacher hub, around the portables, along the front of the school. Junior toilets, stage area, Stocky Dome, basketball courts, equipment/bike sheds, sandpit. |
| Area 2 | BER building, blue playground, mini golf, around the palace, yarning circle, sandpit and veggie garden. |
| Area 3 | 5/6 Playground and Stocky oval. |
Yard Duty Map
Yard Duty Equipment
School Staff must:
- wear a provided safety/hi-vis vest whilst on yard duty. Safety/hi-vis vests will be stored in the staffroom.
- carry the yard duty first aid bag at all times during supervision. The yard duty first aid bag will be stored in in the staffroom.
- Be familiar with the yard duty information pack containing student health and safety information stored in the staffroom
Yard duty equipment must be returned after the period of supervision or handed to the relieving staff member.
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, in accordance with any relevant disciplinary measures set out in your school’s Student Engagement and Wellbeing policy
- ensure that students who require first aid assistance receive it as soon as practicable
- log any incidents or near misses as appropriate on Compass
- if being relieved of their yard duty shift by another staff member (for example, where the shift is ‘split’ into 2 consecutive time periods), ensure that a brief but adequate verbal ‘handover’ is given to the next staff member in relation to any issues which may have arisen during the first shift.
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 Assistant Principal 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 Assistant Principal but should not leave the designated area until the relieving staff member has arrived in the designated area.
If a relieving or next staff member does not arrive for yard duty, the staff member currently on duty should send a message to the office and not leave the designated area until a replacement staff member has arrived.
Should students require assistance during recess or lunchtime, they are encouraged to speak to the supervising yard duty staff member.
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 Assistant Principal 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 activities. 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 device and virtual classroom
Stockdale Road Primary School follows the Department’s Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies Policy with respect to supervision of students using digital devices.
Stockdale Road Primary School will also ensure appropriate supervision of students participating in remote and flexible learning environments while on school site. In these cases, students will be supervised in the BER building and when there is a staggered return, students will be supervised in one of their year level classrooms.
While parents are responsible for the appropriate supervision of students accessing virtual classrooms from home:
- student attendance will be monitored daily via webex and work submission
- 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.
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
- On our website and Compass portal
- Included as a reference in our school newsletter each term
- Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request
Further information and resources
- the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library (PAL):
Policy Review and Approval
| Policy last reviewed | 31.10.24 |
| Approved by | Principal |
| Next scheduled review date | Before August 2026 |
