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3. EXCURSION POLICY This policy covers local excursions, interstate study tours, overseas study tours and distance education seminars.

BASIC BELIEFS Excursions are seen as an integral part of the school curriculum as they enable students to explore, extend and enrich their learning and their social skills development, in a non-school setting. Excursions complement, and are an important aspect of the educational programs offered at the school. All excursion and camp planning and implementation will be compliant with the APS Child Safe Policy, and the Child Safe Standards. The VSL must be satisfied that there are adequate “Duty of Care” safeguards before an excursion is approved. Additional requirements must be met if the excursion involves:

an overnight or weekend stay

an interstate excursion

an international or overseas study tour

excursions requiring sea or air travel

DEFINITIONS ‘DET’ means the Department of Education and Training. An ‘excursion’ is an activity organised by a school during which students leave the school grounds to engage in educational activities, including camps and seminars. A ‘camp’ is defined as any activity that involves at least one night’s accommodation. Any reference to the ‘Principal’ in this policy means the respective Area Manager, Principal or their nominee. 1.0 Aims

1.1 To reinforce, complement and extend the learning opportunities beyond the classroom 1.2 To develop an understanding that learning is not limited to school, and that valuable and powerful learning takes place in the real world. 1.3 To provide a safe, secure learning experience for students in a venue external to the school. 1.4 To further develop social skills such as cooperation, tolerance, communication, individual and group interaction. 1.5 To further develop problem solving and life survival skills. 1.6 To extend understanding of students’ physical and cultural environment.

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2.0 Guidelines for Action

2.1 All excursions must be approved by the respective Area Manager and Principal. They will consider the educational outcome of the excursion as well as the impact on the school for the proposed date. 2.2 The respective Area Manager, Centre Supervisor and Principal will ensure that all excursions, transport arrangements, emergency procedures and staffing comply with DET guidelines. Refer to: DET Excursion Policy 2.4 Once the excursion has been approved all relevant documentation must be completed. This is available from the VSL Head Office or the VSL Centre or the VSL webpage. The Assistant Principal or organising teacher will complete the ‘Student Activity Locator’ online form at: https://edugate.eduweb.vic.gov.au/sites/emergencymanagement/DEECDSAL/default.aspx at least three weeks prior to the excursion departure date, and ensure relevant details are entered on the daily planner. 2.5 In addition to the Principal, School Council is responsible for the approval of:

Overnight excursions

Interstate visits

International visits

Excursions requiring sea or air travel, weekends or vacations

3.0 Expectations

3.1 The Department’s requirements and guidelines relating to preparation and safety will be observed in the conduct of all excursions. 3.2 The Principal, the Assistant Principal and the relevant VSL Area Manager (Leading Teacher) will ensure that full records are maintained regarding the excursion. 3.3 The Principal, the Assistant Principal and the relevant VSL Area Manager (Leading Teacher) will ensure that adequate pre-excursion planning and preparation, including the preparation of students, takes place. 3.4 Satisfactory arrangements will be made to provide continuous instruction for the students remaining at the school during the absence of staff accompanying an excursion. 3.5 The school council may choose to subsidise some excursions or some students’ expenses. 3.6 Prior to conducting an excursion, the approval of the Principal will be sought. School Council must approve the excursions (as per 2.5 as above). 3.7 Only students who have displayed sensible, reliable behaviour at school will be invited to participate in camps or excursions. Students and their parents/carers need to be made aware that acceptable standards of behaviour will be expected during a camp or an excursion. 3.8 For interstate and overseas study tours, the VSL will inform the students’ base school that the students are participating, whether the base school recommends the students’ participation and asks the base school to follow up any negative behaviour. 3.9 The emergency management process of the school will extend to and incorporate all camps and excursions. Risk assessments will be completed for all excursions listed in 2.5 above. 3.10 All DET requirements and guidelines that apply to the conduct of excursions are also applicable to all overseas and interstate camps/excursions/tours.

4.0 Types of Excursions

Distance Education Student Seminars

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Centre Classes Seminar

Interstate or overseas study tours

4.1 DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENT SEMINARS Student seminars enable students to meet one another and their teacher and to participate in group activities. They are an excellent means of providing an immediate response to students’ enquiries and difficulties and to share learning experiences. At least one seminar per term should be organised for VCE units; at least one seminar per semester should be organised, if possible, for students at other levels. Seminars can be held in one or both of the Conference Rooms on the ground floor (shared facility with the Virtual Schools Victoria (formerly DECV)). However, there is great demand for these rooms, so bookings need to be made well in advance, by sending an email to roombooking@distance.vic.edu.au. Some faculties prefer to arrange seminars at other, off-site locations. Such arrangements should be approved by the DE Manager and co-ordinated through ES officer Courtney Nicholson. Teachers should discuss with the DE Manager any significant expenses likely to be associated with the seminar (e.g. purchase of materials, honoraria to performers, etc.). Wherever possible, more than one teacher should be involved in conducting each seminar, especially if it takes place off-site. Part-time teachers should schedule seminars only on days when they are expected at work. There are no automatic days in lieu. If other arrangements are necessary, it should be discussed with the DE Manager prior to the required date. Seminars should be arranged in pairs per day unless the student numbers exceed the capacity (50). Seminar Notices must be sent to students at least a month in advance of the due date. The notice should provide students with the following information: • date, time and location of the seminar • a detailed program of the day’s activities • any materials which students need to bring with them • the prescribed Seminar/Excursion form (see Appendix), to be completed by all students and returned prior to the seminar date.

Organising a seminar (from Distance Education Staff handbook) Organising a seminar • A copy of the Seminar Notice and a covering letter should be sent to the Principal of each school whose students are enrolled for this subject. A copy should also be given to the DE Manager.

• Students must be supervised at all times during seminars, including lunchtime. They should be reminded that they are not free to leave the building or to use areas of the building other than the seminar room(s). They are expected to be courteous and considerate of one another and of all users of the building.

• Students should attend the seminar for the whole day and must provide a note signed by a parent/guardian if earlier departure is required.

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• Attendance lists must be prepared in advance and students’ presence recorded for both morning and afternoon sessions. If students fail to attend, their home school should be contacted during the day. Appropriate follow–up action should be taken, in consultation with the DE Manager, if the home school has no knowledge of the students’ whereabouts. A copy of the attendance list should be given to the Distance Education Manager after the seminar.

• Prior to the seminar, teachers should assess their technology needs for the day and check availability and make appropriate bookings for equipment with Sophie Sahinidis if they are not already available at the Seminar venue.

See the following pages for:

Seminar Permission Form

Letter to base school Principal

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Distance Education Seminar Form

Seminar permission form Victorian School of Languages

VCE German Unit 1: Seminar 1

Date: Tuesday 19 March 2018

Time: 9:30am to 3:00pm

Location: Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne

Please note: This form must be completed by all students, whether or not they intend to come to the seminar.

Scan the completed form and email to your VSL teacher OR fax to (03) 9416 8598, OR post to Victorian School Of

Languages , 315 Clarendon Street, Thornbury 3071

SECTION A: To be completed by Students in block letters

Name:

School:

Will you be attending? Yes No (Please circle)

Signature:

If you are attending please complete the following:

Address:

Mobile number:

Emergency telephone number:

Any other relevant information:

(e.g. medical conditions/allergies etc.)

SECTION B: To be completed by parent/guardian for all students under 18 years who are attending

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I, the parent/guardian of , consent to his/her

participation in the seminar organised by the Victorian School of Languages. I authorise the teacher in

charge of the seminar to consent, where it is impracticable to communicate with me, to the student

receiving such medical or surgical treatment as may be deemed necessary.

Parent/Guardian signature: _______________________________________

SECTION C: To be completed by Principal for all school-based students who are attending

This student has permission to attend the seminar organised by the Victorian School of Languages:

Signed: _____________________________________________

School: _____________________________________________

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315 Clarendon Street, Thornbury 3071

Tel: (03) 9474 0500 Fax: (03) 9416 8598

To the Principal

We are writing to advise you that the first seminar for students of VCE German Unit 1 will be held on

Tuesday 19 March, from 9:30am to 3:00pm, at Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.

Students will have the opportunity to meet their teachers and other distance education students. They

will be introduced to the requirements of the VCE German course and be given advice as to how to

achieve the best results. There will be practice sessions in preparation for the Assessment Tasks and we

will also be conducting grammar and conversation workshops.

The seminars are strongly recommended and students are advised to attend. We would appreciate your

co-operation in encouraging your students to attend the seminar and signing the “permission to attend”

form sent to students.

Yours sincerely,

Heather Rae, Andreas Helmich and Mike Atkinson

Teachers of German

Victorian School of Languages

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4.2 CENTRE CLASSES SEMINARS

Given the limited number of sessions for Centre classes, excursions should only be contemplated for sound educational purposes. The relevant forms, available from the Centre office, must be completed and all safety and duty of care practices must be fully implemented. This includes, but is not limited to, aspects relating to date and times, venue safety, activity risk, transport, medical issues, contact details and collection of permission signatures.

At least four weeks' notice must be given to allow for approval by the Principal and/or School Council and/or DE&T. Area Managers need to endorse the excursion in the first instance. A sample excursion form is attached. Generally, most day excursions require one staff member per twenty students. Excursions should be under the direct control of a teacher employed by the School with at least one other excursion staff member present. An excursion staff member assisting a teacher may be a parent employed on a volunteer basis, a trainee teacher or an administrative staff member and they must have a current Working with Children check as well as completed the VSL Volunteer Application Forms. The specific roles and responsibilities of each staff member must be clarified and understood by all staff and students prior to the commencement of any excursion. Consent forms must be completed by the student’s parent or guardian for participation in the excursion activity, financial costs and emergency medical treatment. The consent forms, including medical information, must be kept at school and copies must be taken on the excursion by the teacher in charge. Medical information must be available to other excursion staff in emergency situations. In selecting a venue/location for an excursion, the teacher in charge must undertake a risk assessment and be clear about procedures to take in case of an emergency. Students are to be clear about what is expected of them in relation to behaviour whilst on the excursion. The teacher in charge must have a mobile telephone and be contactable at all timed whilst on the excursion. Organising a Centre class seminar

Proposal for Excursion

Excursion Indemnity Form

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Centre Excursion Forms

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4.3 INTERSTATE OR OVERSEAS STUDY TOURS Victorian School of Languages recognises the educational value of Overseas Study Tour that are linked to curricular and co-curricular outcomes. All overseas travel programs are viewed as educational experiences for students and are designed to encourage students to be effective ‘Global Citizens’. All overseas experiences will be planned and conducted in a manner that is line with the DET Legal and Educational guidelines. Parents or other volunteers participating in an Overseas Study Tour will be required to have a “Working With Children” check. Staffing - where possible a member of the School Leadership Team will be present on an International Tour where a group of Victorian School of Languages students is representing the school. At least two staff members will be required to participate in an overseas study tour. At the same time, the VSL is conscious of the duty of care required and will only endorse a request for an Overseas Study Tour if it is satisfied that all requirements are met. Generally, there will only be one study tour a year. The students participating in the Tour should come from both Distance Education and Centre classes.

There is a separate detailed application form that needs to be submitted online by the Principal to the Director of North-Western Victoria Region.

The process can be summarized as:

(1) The Language Faculty Co-ordinator on behalf of the faculty, submits a proposal to the Principal

providing the basic information. (2) The students generally should be in the Year 10 to 12 levels and from both Distance Education and

Centre classes (3) The Principal assesses the proposal and if approved submits it to School Council (4) If School Council approves it the proposal with additional information (Risk Assessment) is

forwarded to the Regional Director 5.0 Program 5.1 Prior to conducting a camp or excursion, the Department’s requirements and guidelines relating to camps or excursions, will be rigorously observed. 5.2 Consideration in planning should include:

Emergency and Risk Management

Excursions and Activities

Excursions and Activities: Approvals

Excursions and Activities: Parent or Carer Consent

Excursions and Activities: Staffing and Supervision

Excursions and Activities: Student Medical Information

Excursions and Activities: Student Preparation and Behaviour

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Excursions and Activities: Venue Selection 5.3 The Principal, Assistant Principal or Area Manager will ensure that full records are submitted to School Council regarding the excursion listed in 2.5 well in advance of the starting date of the event and that no excursion occurs unless all the formal record keeping has been completed and approved. 5.4 Prior to conducting any overnight, interstate or overseas excursion, the formal approval of the School Council and Principal will be obtained. In approving a camp or excursion, that involves 2.5 above, consideration will include:

the contribution of the activity to the school curriculum

the adequacy of the planning, preparation and organisation in relation to the school policy and the guidelines and advice provided by DET

information provided by community groups and organisations that specialise in the activity proposed

appropriateness of the venue

the provisions made for the safety and welfare of students and staff

the experience and competence of staff relevant to the activities being undertaken

the adequacy of the student supervision

the high risk nature of some activities

emergency procedures and safety measures

staff-student ratios

student experience 5.5 Prior to the camp or excursion parent/carers are to be made aware that DET does not provide student accident cover and that they need to make their own arrangements for cover. 6.0 Parent or Carer Consent 6.1 The school must obtain consent from parents or carers for school excursions, for the school to:

take the student out of the school environment for a day excursion from the school grounds

have the student in its care after normal school hours on an overnight excursion

obtain parent or carer authorisation: for the financial costs of the excursion or for any adventure activities that may be undertaken during the excursion or for students to be sent home from the excursion in the event of serious misbehaviour and for the cost of the student’s return to the parent or carer’s responsibility

enable the parent or carer to alert the school to any medical conditions or allergies 6.2 The school must:

give parents or carers, who are to sign consent forms, sufficient information about the excursion to enable them to make an informed decision

tell the parent or carer the nature of the proposed activity o degree of supervision or risks involved

keep the consent forms on record (via school files)

ensure that the teacher in charge of the excursion takes a hard copy of each consent form on the excursion (via copies physically signed by parents/guardians), for excursions requiring school council approval 7.0 Arrangements for payments

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7.1 All efforts will be made not to exclude students simply for financial reasons. Parents experiencing financial difficulty, who wish for their children to attend an excursion, are invited to discuss alternative arrangements with the VSL Business Manager. Decisions relating to alternative payment arrangements will be made by the Business Manager in consultation with the appropriate staff, on an individual basis. 7.2 All families will be given sufficient time to make payments for excursions and camps. Parents will be provided with permission forms and excursion information clearly stating payment finalization dates. Children whose payment have not been finalized at least 24 hours prior to the departure date will not be allowed to attend unless alternative payment arrangements have been organized with the VSL Business Manager. 7.3 Payments for camps and excursions are taken directly in the VSL Centre office. 7.4 Financial Considerations (see second last page) 8.0 Teacher Responsibilities 8.1 A designated “Teacher in Charge” will coordinate each excursion. 8.2 The classroom teacher must ensure that the event roll is marked online before departing for an excursion. The classroom teacher or teacher in charge must provide the school office with a list of students who are present at school but are not attending the excursion. Regular attendance checks should be conducted throughout the day, as well as on return to school. 8.3 All students must have consent and payment to be able to attend the excursion. Completed consent and medical information must be accessible by excursion staff at all times, via the paper consent forms. 8.4 The school will provide a first aid kit for each excursion. The teacher in charge is responsible for collecting these prior to leaving. Epipens and/or asthma puffers should be accounted for. 8.5 The teacher in charge will communicate the anticipated return time with the school office in the case where excursions are returning out of school hours. 8.6 Parents with current Working with Children checks may be invited to assist in the delivery of excursions. 8.7 Parents will be notified if their child is in danger of losing the privilege to participate in an excursion due to poor behaviour at school. The decision to exclude a student will be made by the Principal or Assistant Principal or Area Manager, in consultation with the organizing teacher. Both the parent and the student will be informed of this decision prior to the excursion. 8.8 Disciplinary measures apply to students on camps and excursions consistent with the School’s Student Management policy. In extreme cases the camp or excursion staff, following consultation with, and the approval of, the principal or their nominee, may determine that a student should return home during a camp or excursion. In such circumstances, the parent/carer will be advised:

of the circumstance associated with the decision to send the student home

of the time when the parents/carers may collect their child from the camp or excursion

of the anticipated time that the student will arrive home

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of any costs associated with the student’s return which will be the responsibility of the parents/carers 8.9 All excursion staff and, where appropriate, the students, will be familiar with the specific procedures for dealing with emergencies on each excursion, via the Risk Assessment 8.10 On days of extreme fire danger or total fire ban, the Principal may need to cancel an excursion at short notice. Where an excursion is not cancelled, special fire safety precautions will be implemented. 8.11 Excursion groups will be equipped with mobile telephones and first aid kits to be used in emergency situations. VSL Duty of Care Policy The VSL Duty of Care policy will be reviewed annually or more often if necessary due to changes in DET regulations or circumstance. 9. Financial Considerations All excursions are to be fully paid for by the date of the commencement of the activity unless an arrangement has been made with the school for payment to be made after this time. The Teacher in Charge of the Excursion may outline a payment plan for the ongoing collection of money. Parents experiencing financial difficulties can discuss this with the principal or welfare staff. Decisions relating to alternative payment arrangements will be made by the principal class representative on a case-by case basis. Students whose payments have not been finalised at least two working days before departure will not be allowed to attend. Where monies have been paid to a third party, no refunds will be available for non-attendance. 10 Student Code of Conduct Students are expected to abide by the Victorian School of Languages Student Code of Conduct as well as the expectations of outside providers in whose care they may be under. Parents can be requested to collect their child from an excursion if their child’s behaviour is considered inappropriate. The teacher in charge in consultation with the principal class representative will make the decision. Costs incurred will be the responsibility of the parent. Students who have displayed unreliable or inappropriate behaviour at school may be excluded from camps or excursions. The decision to exclude will be made by the principal class representative in consultation with the teacher in charge and parents will be notified.