Protective Personal Equipment

After a snack has been consumed, students will be encouraged to go to the toilet, get their School-supplied bucket hats and apply School- or self-supplied sunscreen over their faces, necks (front and back), arms and legs under teacher supervision to ensure coverage. Closed in shoes and sun-safe clothing is protocol. Each child will then put on a vest and wristband whistle. This will ensure the students are visible to the teacher and the whistle for emergencies use only.

In depth protocol and discussions will be had and explained to the students and their parents involving what an emergency is, how it feels and what do in response. There will be lots of practising too, followed with outdoor emergency procedures. The staff will also wear fluro vests and whistles, with a rule of “three to me” meaning: when the students hear three whistles, they need to get to the staff member as soon as they can. When moving to and from the school along the pavements and across crossings, we will be via a walking rope to ensure movement is conducted safely and all children are accounted for at all times. It will always be used for Prep students.

Safety Excursion Equipment

Whilst the group will move together, each student will carry a named water bottle and student-specific asthma puffers EpiPen or other student-specific medication and a card containing their medical plan and parent emergency number (as required), inside their own small personal backpack until they return to school, ensuring the correct medication is with the correct student at all times. A first aid kit with a general use EpiPen and asthma puffer, additional sunscreen, tissues, wipes, bandaids, topical solution, insect repellent, bite cream and hand sanitizer will be in a hand-led wagon, along with balls and other lawn/beach games or equipment for a specific HPE lesson focus as needed.

Each attending staff member and/or adult will be pre-informed of where they will be going, any risk management that needs additional awareness and to ensure they have each other’s and the School’s mobile number for communication purposes.

The School will provide long-range walkie talkies with the base unit staying at school, and the other three being brought with excursion staff. Walkie talkies were chosen due to their ease of use and the instant communication with all involved parties without needing to dial numbers or type. This means mobile phones are free to use should an ambulance be needed and the walkie talkie used to ask for support in managing the other students and/or contacting the necessary parents by other staff members.