Yard Duty Policy 2024

Purpose

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

Scope

This policy applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff at Moolap 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

Moolap Primary School’s grounds are supervised by school staff from 8.45 a.m. until 8.55 a.m. when classes commence. Outside of these hours, school staff will not be available to supervise students.

This supervision is at the front entry gate area adjacent to the general car park.

Parents and carers will be advised through the school newsletter, website and on enrolling, about before and after school supervision that they should not allow their children to attend Moolap Primary School outside of these hours. Families will be encouraged to contact Extend on 1300 366 437 or refer to Extend 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 Child Protection to arrange for the supervision, care and protection of the student.

Yard duty

Staff at Moolap Primary School are expected to assist with yard duty supervision and will be included in the termly roster that will be emailed to all staff.

Yard Duty is for two periods, first break 11.00 – 11.30 a.m., second break 1.50 – 2.20 p.m. Students also have a supervised, inside eating break (structured eating) 12.30 -12.50 p.m.

The Principal or nominee is responsible for preparing and communicating the yard duty roster on a regular basis.  At Moolap Primary School, school staff will be designated a specific yard duty area to supervise.

Yard duty zones

The designated yard duty areas for our school are:

• Front Yard - including play equipment, asphalt area.
• Courtyard – ES staff participate in Café during first brake, courtyard supervision includes monitoring students attending Café in the Welfare room at the end of the admin block. Teachers are responsible for any incidents occur and to follow up with students.
• Oval – all of the oval area including play equipment, sensory area and basketball court.

Yard duty equipment

School staff must:

• Collect a yard duty folder and bum bag and wear hi-vis vest provided whilst on yard duty. Hi-vis vests will be stored in the Staff Room near the exit door.
• Carry yard duty bum bag at all times during supervision. Bum bag will be stored in the Staff Room near the exit door and contain individual medical cards for students with severe medical conditions such as anaphylaxis. Should a child suffer an anaphylactic reaction the individual card is to be removed immediately from the bag and given to a student to go straight to the office for assistance. Yard duty staff must stay with the child at all times and further assistance will arrive. See Anaphylaxis Management Policy.
• The bag also contains basic first aid items such as gloves, tissues, band aides and ‘first aid required’ slips. These slips are to be given to the child to take to the office for further medical attention if needed.

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 to ensure areas are within line of sight to at least one yard duty teacher at a time.
• 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 the school’s Student Engagement 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, 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 organize with another staff member to cover their duty or notify the Office 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 a staff member to assist 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 office or another staff member 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, including the structured eating break.

If a teacher needs to leave the classroom unattended at any time during a lesson, they should first contact neighbouring classroom, the office or leadership staff for assistance. 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

Moolap Primary School 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.

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.

Extracurricular activity

Extracurricular activities are run each day during second break 1.50 – 2.20 p.m. Activities vary and are run by individual teachers. Activities included but not limited to – Art Club, Gardening Club, STEM Club, iPad Club. These activities are included as part of the Yard Duty Timetable.

Other areas requiring supervision

Students using the bathroom during class time will be sent in pairs.

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 staff handbook
• Included in school newsletter
• Hard copy available on request from the office. 

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
• Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Technologies
• Duty of Care
• Excursions
• Supervision of Students
• Visitors in Schools

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL 

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