Effective Date:
National Administration Guideline 5
The Minister of Education has issued National Administration Guideline 5 (NAG 5) to all schools which states:
Each board of trustees is also required to:
a. provide a safe physical and emotional environment for students;
b. promote healthy food and nutrition for all students; and
c. comply in full with any legislation currently in force or that may be developed to ensure the safety of students and employees.
Policy Statement
This policy details the school’s strategies to deliver on NAG 5, to provide a safe and healthy environment for all students and employees of the school.
Scope
This policy applies to the staff, parents/caregivers and students of the school, volunteers who provide services to the school, and to any contractors (and their staff where applicable) who are engaged to carry out work at the school.
Purpose
This policy has the following purposes:
1. Health and Safety
- To ensure the school takes all practicable steps to ensure the safety of staff, students, visitors and contractors by complying with relevant health and safety legislation, standards and codes of practice.
2. Behaviour
- To contribute to a safe physical and emotional environment for students and to foster aroha.
- To help create an environment which encourages self-discipline and develops self-esteem.
- To encourage students to demonstrate respect for others’ rights and tolerance of differences.
- To encourage students to develop appropriate skills of assertiveness.
- To develop strategies for minimising behaviour that is aggressive, destructive or disruptive.
3. Risk Analysis and Management
Risk analysis allows teachers to:
- Clearly identify potential areas of risk.
- Assess the needs, skills and competencies of those adults who will be involved in assisting with the preparation and operation of the programme.
- Assess the needs, skills and competencies of the students who will be involved with the programme.
- Determine strategies to ensure that risks can be controlled and managed so far as is reasonably practicable.
- Ensure that contingency planning for emergencies has been taken.
4. Staff Health
- To support the philosophy that a healthy person displays energy and enthusiasm, benefiting both the individual and the school community.
- To be role models for the students and their parents/caregivers by following health and safety practices.
5. Crisis Management
- To recognise the nature of specific crisis situations occurring which involve school personnel.
- To develop appropriate management strategies for individuals immediately involved in the crisis and those with related intervention roles.
6. Shade
- To protect students from the possibility of serious skin conditions which may occur later in life if suitable precautions are not taken during early years.
- To teach students the importance of sun safety.
7. Healthy Food
- To help students find accurate and unbiased information about healthy eating.
- To help students understand the factors that influence their food and drink choices and the possible long-term effects of their choices on their well-being.
- To encourage students to clarify their own thinking about, and develop the skills they need for making responsible decisions about, healthy eating.
- To encourage food and drinks at the school that enhance student health.
- To otherwise provide an environment that encourages and supports healthy eating.
8. Safe Education Outside the Classroom
- To enrich the curriculum and provide further opportunities for learning, personal growth and social development while providing a “duty of care” to students to safeguard them from harm in situations.
9. Infectious and Communicable Diseases
- To provide a safe environment for the entire school community, including students, staff and visitors.
- To prevent the spread of communicable diseases and illnesses by responding in a positive and informed manner to issues arising from these.
10. Working with People with Hepatitis or HIV
- To provide a supportive environment for, and prevent unfair treatment of, persons affected by Hepatitis or HIV.
- To state a commitment to Hepatitis and HIV prevention through appropriate health education in the school.
11. Student Protection
- To ensure the safety of the students
- To outline the procedures for the speedy reporting of suspected cases of child abuse to the authorities.
- To ensure staff know what to do when a student discloses abuse or neglect.
- To outline the procedure to be followed when there is an allegation of abuse or neglect against a staff member.
12. Internet Usage
To provide internet access so that staff and students can:
- Become effective and safe users of the internet.
- Extend their awareness and knowledge of the internet.
- Become motivated, responsible and independent users of the internet.
Strategies
The Board has approved the following strategies:
1. Health and Safety
Health and safety at the school is ensured by:
(a) All staff taking individual responsibility for the health and safety of themselves and others at the school
(b) All staff being informed of, understanding and accepting the role each of them plays in discharging the school’s obligation to eliminate or otherwise to minimise the potential for harm to people at their work place, including contractors, other staff and visitors being informed of any results of our monitoring their work area.
(c) Ensuring staff are consulted on, and given the opportunity to participate in, health and safety management.
(d) Ensuring union and other employee representatives are consulted regarding health and safety management.
(e) Ensuring the school has an effective method for identifying and analyising risks and effective controls. Risks that arise out of the school or school environment that are identified and assessed as having the potential to cause harm to staff, students or others will be managed and controlled by:
i. To the extent that it is reasonably practicable to do so, eliminating the risk; or
ii. Minimising the risk, if it cannot be practicably eliminated.
(f) Creating and maintaining a safe work environment. This includes providing facilities for staff and contractor health and safety at work.
(g) Establishing and maintaining a Health and Safety Committee which shall, at a minimum, include the Principal, one member of the Board, a Health and Safety Representative elected from time to time by the staff, and a parent representative. The Committee will meet no less than six(??) times a year and will have primary responsibility for the following:-
i. Representing all staff in matters relating to health and safety
ii. Arranging investigations of complaints from staff relating to health and safety
iii. Overseeing policies, procedures and measures taken by the Board that are relevant to health and safety
iv. Making recommendations to the Board relating to health and safety and providing feedback as to whether the legislation governing health and safety is being complied with.
(h) Having in place plans and procedures for foreseeable emergencies that may arise in the workplace.
(i) Providing all new workers with a school induction to include the identification of:
i. Risks and hazards within their work area
ii. Appropriate risk control procedures
iii. The risk register which should be read by the new worker
iv. This policy document and all of the school’s health and safety procedures
v. Emergency procedures including sight of first aid cabinet, fire alarms and fire-fighting equipment, and emergency exits and congregation points.
(i) Providing appropriate health and safety induction of all contractors and other visitors to the school.
(j) Providing compulsory health and safety training for all new and existing staff to include:
i. Fire drills
ii. Computer health and safety
iii. Harassment and bullying prevention
iv. Other training as directed by the Principal necessary to ensure risks associated with specific work are managed in a safe manner.
(k) Having effective procedures for the hiring and monitoring of contractors, ensuring that they have their own appropriate health and safety procedures in place, that they read, understand and comply with the school’s health and safety policy and that they direct their own employees (where applicable) to do so as well.
(l) Accurate recording, investigating and reporting of injuries.
(m) The Board’s commitment to continuous improvement in health and safety.
(n) The Board’s commitment to ensure that it and the school complies with all relevant health and safety legislation.
(o) Supporting the safe and early return to work of injured employees.
(p) Ongoing evaluation, review and updating of our compliance with our health and safety programme and this policy.
(q) Seek comments about health and safety issues at the staff mini admin meeting every Friday morning
2. Behaviour
(a) Standards of acceptable behaviour will be clearly explained to students. This is behaviour both in the classroom and in the playground, which demonstrates respect for others’ rights as well as their physical and mental wellbeing.
(b) Each class will use the school wide behaviour management system developed for both classroom and playground. Where appropriate, the school wide system may be supplemented by additional strategies to promote good behaviour.
(c) Staff will always seek to promote and reinforce good behaviour, by means of modelling and positive methods, such as a smile, encouraging words, a sticker, an award certificate, and a letter or phone call to the student’s home.
(d) In the case of minor behaviour problems, students should be encouraged to take control of the situation themselves rather than immediately seeking the help of an older student or adult. For example, students being annoyed by others can say, “Stop that, I don’t like it”.
(e) Some behaviour, such as bullying and verbal abuse, is always unacceptable and the staff will need to take action once they are aware of it.
(f) Staff will be aware of the needs of the victims of unacceptable behaviour and will offer appropriate support to the student and, if necessary, the family.
(g) In difficult cases, the school may seek help in determining the reasons for inappropriate behaviour and modifying it. Such help may be sought from such services as are available.
(h) In a most serious case, such as striking a staff member, the Chairperson of the Board and the Principal may need to suspend the child from school, following the established guidelines.
(i) Students may only have cell phones at school for issue of student safety after school. If any student uses their cell phones during the hours of 8:30am and 3:00pm without teacher permission, their cell phone will be removed for the day and the parents/caregiver informed.
(j) Parents/caregivers and other adults associated with the school will be encouraged to model appropriate behaviour when on the school grounds or when involved with a school activity i.e. coaching a school sports team.
(k) Contractors working at the school will be required to consult, co-operate with and co-ordinate activities with the school to ensure that there is effective management and control of health and safety risks in matters where the school and the contractor both have a duty in relation to the same matter.
3. Risk Analysis and Management
(a) A trip form must be completed for all excursions out of the school. This is to be signed by the Principal.
(b) A Risk Analysis and Management profile for all Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) activities, out of school excursions and camps must be completed prior to the events taking place. Where one or more contractor is to be involved in the activity, input should be sought from the contractor(s) as part of the process for completing the profile, as to the sorts of risks that might be involved and the means for managing and controlling those risks. [The completed Risk Analysis and Management profile must be signed off by the Principal or by the Deputy Principal in the Principal’s absence.]
(c) Forms for camps must be approved by the Board.
(d) The Principal (or in the Principal’s absence, the person delegated by the Principal for that purpose during the Principal’s absence) must be notified immediately in the event of any accident/incident occurring that results in anything more than a trivial injury.
(e) An accident/incident report for any accident/incident involving injury must be completed.
4. Staff Health
(a) Teachers are encouraged to follow healthy practices in relation to their own diet and exercise.
(b) Teachers are encouraged to take adequate time away when sick.
(c) Teachers are encouraged to identify health and safety risks which could affect themselves or students.
(d) Teachers are required to to be aware of and to follow health and safety guidelines for themselves and students.
(e) Support available to Staff:
i. Flu injections or alternative medication are available for staff prior to the winter term, paid for by the Board.
ii. NZEI Counselling
5. Crisis Management
A Crisis Management Plan shall be set up, made known to all staff and be ready to run in advance of a possible crisis.
From the management plan it must be possible to:
(a) Identify the range of solutions which would be recognised as crises and which would activate management procedures.
(b) Develop a specific Crisis Strategy, which has the flexibility to respond to a wide variety of crisis situations.
(c) Establish a Crisis Management Team with a clear chain of command and designated roles, which can be functional, immediately as a recognised crisis occurs. The administration responsibilities of the management team shall include:
i. Co-ordination and communication
ii. Implementing an action plan for teachers
iii. Working with students
(d) Ensure that all school staff are fully aware of the school’s Crisis Management Strategies and how these will involve and affect them. This Management Plan is reviewed twice a year.
(e) Liaise with the Group Special Education Crisis Management Team.
6. Shade
(a) The school will aim to provide shade wherever possible by way of trees, sunshades and other shelters.
(b) Teachers will ensure that students wear Sunsmart hats that protect the face and neck whenever they are outdoors in the summer months. Parents/caregivers must send Sunsmart sunhats to school with the students. Students not wearing Sunsmart hats are required to play in shady areas. (ref: Cancer Society Hat Guidelines www.sunsmartschools.co.nz)