PARKHURST PRIMARY SCHOOL TOURS AND EXCURSION POLICY

Transcription

1 PARKHURST PRIMARY SCHOOL TOURS AND EXCURSION POLICY OUR VISION ENSURING EVERY LEARNER DOES WELL AT SCHOOL AND LEAVES OUR INSTITUTIONS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS THAT WILL GIVE THEM THE BEST CHANCE OF SUCCESS IN ADULT LIFE. OUR MISSION TO ENSURE QUALITY LEARNING AND TEACHING TAKE PLACE IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY. 1. PREAMBLE In terms of the South African Schools Act of 1996, the governing body of a public school must determine the Tours and Excursion policy of that school. Touring and hosting tours have educational value, and are considered to be an important feature in the school s wider extra-curricular programme. Sports tours motivate players and stimulate improvement in our sport. Cultural tours enrich the curricular programme. Both types of tours have valuable social benefits and promote school spirit. 2. LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND The Governing Body of Parkhurst Primary School has accordingly constituted the following as the Tours and Excursions policy of the school, in the belief that its provisions are consistent with: o South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996). o Gauteng School Education Act, 1995 (Act No. 6 of 1995). o Government Gazette No of 10 November 3. DEFINITIONS In this policy any expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996), the Further Education and Training Act, 1998 (Act No. 98 of 1998) and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (Act No. 76 of 1998), shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates: Pupil/learner child enrolled at that specific school SMT Senior Management Team SGB School Governing Body

2 4. OBJECTIVES a. To align the school processes with the latest legislation. b. To advise stakeholders on the procedures for dealing with matters related to Tours and Excursions c. To refer stakeholders to the relevant legislation in order to ensure compliance around Tours and Excursions in public schools. d. The purpose of this policy is to reflect Parkhurst Primary's constitutional responsibility to ensure access of all learners to quality education within and outside the school environment. 4. STATEMENT OF APPLICABILITY 1. The SGB. 2. The Principal and all staff at the school. 3. Learners and parents 4. Service providers related to tours and excursions 5. FUNDING OF TOURS AND EXCURSIONS a. The basic principle is that parents of tour members are responsible for meeting the costs of their child. b. Staff supervising the tour are not required to meet any costs. Their expenses must be provided for in the tour budget. c. Provision will be made to assist students whose families are unable to contribute their full cost. d. Mini tours (weekend or overnight) relatively close to the school, and recreational expeditions such as river trips, hikes, etc., should be self-supporting, and are not subsidised from the school fund. e. Expenses in hosting tours are met from the school fund. f. The most cost effective means of hosting or going on a tour must be considered at all times. 6. FUNDRAISING a. School fund raising efforts may be held from time to time to provide revenue for the tour fund. b. Profits from the tuckshop may with the permission of the SGB be allocated to the tour fund. c. A particular tour group may embark on fund raising projects, subject to the approval of the SGB. d. The following shall apply: a service should, if possible, be rendered, e.g. cake sale, car wash a disco may be held only with the express permission of the SGB and only on condition that all policies relating to school discos are adhered to. The cost of any damage incurred will be deducted from the tour fund, and additional fines may be imposed, which will be used to support the tour fund. e. Care must be taken not to deflect sources of financial support from existing school programmes.

3 f. Any initiative by parents must first be approved by the SGB. 7. SPONSORSHIPS a. Sponsorships may be sought subject to the above. b. Such monies must be made payable to the school account. c. Any sponsorships in kind (togbags, T shirts) must first be approved by the principal with reference to design, wording, etc. Tasteful advertising is acceptable. d. Sponsorships should be acknowledged in the school newsletter. e. Any excess money raised via a sponsorship will be credited to the tour fund and earmarked for future use in a tour for the same sport/activity. 8. PROPOSING A TOUR OR EXCURSION a. The teacher in charge of a sport/learning area should approach a member of the senior management team. b. The principal s provisional approval should then be obtained. He will obtain authorisation from the governing body, who are ultimately responsible for any tour. c. Criteria used in considering a sports tour include the enthusiasm of the coach, availability of an experienced, suitable staff tour leader and a teacher assistant-leader, the strength and suitability of the team, and the financial implications, especially for parents. d. Thereafter a detailed proposal must be prepared and presented to the principal. e. This should include such details as dates, possible itinerary, travel / transport, proposed staff in charge, and a budget with reasons. f. The bursar (in charge of school finance) can advise on budget compilation. Once a tour has been authorised, she has the responsibility of supervising the financial aspects, i.e. budget, payment of monies, and the compilation and checking of statements after the tour. g. Once a tour has been approved, the principal must be kept informed of arrangements, and drafts of written communications to pupils or parents must be checked by him or her. h. Guidelines for staff in charge of tours appear in a separate document and must be used in planning and undertaking the tour. i. A set of copies of all documents must be given to the principal for the office tour file, and a similar set should be kept in the file for the sport or activity. j. Tour parties may not miss school days, so do not plan early departures. This contravenes education department policy and our own school ethos. k. A lead time of 1 term is required to plan and implement any tour or excursion. 9. TRANSPORTATION OF LEARNERS a. School Mini buses (i.e. belonging to PPS) b. All school vehicles must be kept in serviceable condition and comply with the Road Traffic Act. c. The principal s responsibility is as follows: d. - to ensure all school vehicles are in excellent condition and have written proof of this. e. - that the school has adequate comprehensive insurance f. - ensure that the teacher who is designated to drive: g. - is a responsible and experienced driver h. - is in possession of an appropriate driver s license i. If an accident / injury occurs and the teacher is found not to have been negligent, the school is not liable for claims.

4 j. Hired Busses k. If the school is using an outside bus company, the principal must obtain a certificate from the bus company that: l. - the vehicles are in good condition; m. - the driver holds a valid and appropriate license; n. - and the transport company holds sufficient public liability insurance. o. Using Teacher s Private Cars p. Teachers who transport learners in their own vehicles must do so in an official school outing capacity and should have this in writing from the principal granting permission. q. In the case of an accident, the school carries the responsibility not the teacher r. The teacher must ensure that they have looked at the clauses in their personal vehicle insurance (private use vs. official use and/or business use). s. If the teacher transports learners for unofficial reasons the school is not liable. t. If the teacher transport learners unofficially and accepts payments, this may violate her insurance policy. u. It is preferred that teachers do not transport learners for unofficial reasons 10. PROCEDURES AND MANAGEMENT a. All tours should be planned on an annual basis and should appear on the school s quarterly plan b. The School Governing Body should: c. approve all tours to be undertaken in writing on the applicable form d. plan fund raising activities in order to assist in the funding of tours e. appoint an educator that will take overall responsibility for the tour f. ensure that at least one educator accompanies every twenty learners or one male educator accompanies every twenty male learners and at least one female educator accompanies every twenty female learners in primary schools and one educator, parent or adult for every thirty learners in secondary schools g. Tours should contribute to learners overall educational & personal development h. Tours should not interfere with the learners school programme. Where this is not possible, schools must ensure that lost teaching time is made up i. Every public school must obtain prior written approval from the Education Department for any sporting, educational or cultural tour. (See Gazette Page 4 8A (1) a, b & c). Schools must first obtain permission from their relevant District Directors to participate in the tour by completing all the necessary documentation. Thereafter, the District Director will forward a copy of the application and consent from the District Office to the CES: Inclusion & Special Programmes. 11. DUTIES OF EDUCATORS ACCOMPANYING LEARNERS a. Learners must be under the supervision of an educator at all times. b. Educators must ensure that all the learners are present before departing from school and departing from the venue after the event. c. The educator must ensure that all learners are seated at all times in the vehicle. d. Where safety belts are available learners are obliged to use them. e. In the event of an injury or accident, reasonable efforts must be made to contact the parents of the learner involved. The Principal or Deputy Principal must be informed as soon as possible. f. All reasonable efforts must be taken to ensure the safety of learners in unforeseen, dangerous situations.

5 12. MEASURES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF LEARNERS DISCIPLINE a. Teachers responsible for learners on outings are in loco parents and have the usual authority to discipline learners. b. The school rules / code of conduct are still applicable 24 hours a day during a school outing. c. In addition to the normal school rules, additional rules may be applied. These specific to the excursion - must be stated and enforced. d. The rules and actions taken against learners who violate these rules must be acknowledged ahead of time and understood. e. Should a learner commit a serious misdemeanour, the teacher in charge must call the principal immediately, so that a decision may be made as to the handling of the situation. If the principal is unavailable another member of the SMT should be consulted 13. SPORTING TOURS BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCE a. Obtain written permission from the Provincial Code of Sport prior to submission of the application to the Education Department b. Planning should commence 3 6 months prior to the planned event c. Fund-raising activities must be included in the application. No learners may be excluded from a tour due to financial reasons d. Tour costs per learner as well as a breakdown of the budget must be included in the application e. Letter of motivation for the tour from the Principal must be included and the Chairman of the School Governing Body MUST sign the applicable form f. A full itinerary must be included in the application, inclusive of the mode of transport, departure date and time, arrival date and time, accommodation, sporting fixtures or coaching timetable, date and time of return g. The GDE District Director MUST receive the application at least thirty days prior to the planned departure date together with all relevant documentation listed above h. Medical & travel Insurance for the duration of the tour and learner medical detail forms must be included i. The following aspects of the Government Gazette No must be included when planning: j. A public school must, in writing, supply the following information to the parent of the learner who will undertake the school activity: k. The purpose of the school activity l. The nature of the activities to be undertaken during the school activity; m. The full itinerary of the school activity, with contact details of the hosts and of the supervising educators; n. The nature of transport, accommodation and catering arrangements; o. Where applicable, the fact the learner will need to acquire travelling documents and an inoculation certificate, and where they can be obtained; p. The fact that the travelling documents must be obtained at least seven days prior to the date of departure; and q. Any other relevant details r. A public school must obtain written consent from the parent of the learner who will be undertaking the school activity

6 s. A public school may not request a parent to sign an indemnity form that indemnifies the school against any legal action that may arise as a result of the school activity t. Regulations regarding transport must be strictly adhered to u. Physical Activities: must be checked by the principal to ensure the safety of the learners v. The principal must ensure that learners are informed about the dangers of, and safety measures regarding water. w. The safety measures regarding water apply to any swimming or water sports activities at a swimming pool, a river, a dam or, the ocean x. One of the tour management team should be in possession of a valid 1 st Aid Level One qualification y. Correspondence to parents must be included z. The name of the educator in charge of the tour as well as a list of all accompanying educators must be included aa. If a list of learners is available when the application is made, this should be included. If not, the list of learners must be forwarded to the District Office at least two weeks prior to departure bb. Insurance and medical detail forms must be included cc. Confirmation that parental consent forms for learners to undertake the tour have been compiled or received dd. Schedule 1 of the Government Gazette No must be completed & submitted with the above- mentioned documents to the District Office. ee. The District Director will consider the application and either grant or refuse approval of the tour in writing ff. Within six weeks of the completion of the tour, a full report must be forwarded to the GDE district office 14. SPORTING AND CULTURAL OR EDUCATIONAL TOURS WITHIN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE a. Tour costs should be included, where possible, in the school s budget. If this is not possible (e.g. for weekend tours where accommodation, transport & meals are included) the costs per learner as well as a breakdown of the budget must be included in the application b. Letter of motivation for the tour from the Principal must be included and the Chairman of the School Governing Body MUST sign the applicable letter c. A full itinerary must be included in the application, inclusive of the mode of transport, departure date and time from the school, arrival date and time, sporting or cultural fixtures or coaching timetable, date and time of return to school. If the tour is a one day educational tour during school hours, a programme of events must be included d. The GDE District Director MUST receive the application at least twenty-one days prior to the planned departure date together with all relevant documentation listed above e. An example of correspondence to parents must be included f. The name of the educator in charge of the tour as well as a list of all accompanying educators must be included g. Insurance and medical detail forms must be included h. A list of learners must be included in the application to the District Office i. Confirmation that parental consent forms for learners to undertake the tour have been compiled or received

7 j. Schedule 1 of the Government Gazette No must be completed & submitted with the above- mentioned documents to the District Office. k. The District Director will consider the application and either grant or refuse approval of the tour in writing 15. MEDICAL ATTENTION AND FIRST AID a. All teachers must take a first aid box with them. b. The teacher may not prescribe drugs but should contact the learner s parents and/or allow the learner to select what medication they usually take. c. Learners should supply their own medication but must inform the teacher in charge. d. In the event of medical attention being needed, the teacher should seek private medical care. e. All medical costs are borne by the parent. f. The Medical Information sheet must go with the learner to the medical facility. 16. SPORTING & CULTURAL DAYS AT SCHOOL: a. According to the National Education Policy, General Notice 207 (Government Gazette 20945) of 1 March 2000 on Calendars for Ordinary Public Schools Sporting and cultural days: b. A maximum of two days per year may be allocated to schools for this purpose. School Governing Bodies should apply to the Head of Department or his/her representative at the District level to utilise such days for school sporting and cultural events c. Schools must apply to the District Director for sporting and cultural days as specified above 21 days prior to the event. d. Applications must be made via the relevant IDSO e. These two days can be utilized for inter-house sporting or cultural events where all educators and learners are involved f. A detailed programme of events must be included in the application to the District Director g. The chairperson of the School Governing Body and the Principal must sign the application h. Due notice must be given to the parents of the school informing them of the activity planned 17. DATE OF REVIEW: TERM