Excursions

Risk management planning

Schools must assess risk for all excursions (including local excursions) and identify measures to reduce reasonably foreseeable risk to students wherever possible. The type of excursion will determine the type of risk assessment required.

For local excursions, schools must use the Risk assessment for local excursions template (DOCX) (staff login required).

This document must be reviewed and signed by the principal or delegate prior to the excursion.

Schools must use the Excursions risk register and emergency management plan (ERREMP) template (DOCX), which must be reviewed and signed by the principal prior to the excursion, for the following types of excursions:

• day excursions without adventure activities
• day excursions with adventure activities
• camps
• interstate camps and excursions
• overseas camps.

See the Completing the Excursion risk register and emergency management plan section for support with considering interstate specific risks and risks associated with adventure activities (including swimming and water-based activities).

To mitigate schools’ financial risk, schools may choose to arrange the purchase of travel insurance for excursions within Australia. Refer to School travel insurance.

Documenting risk is important for a number of reasons, including:

• providing staff with a clear record of risks identified and measures put in place to reduce risk
• identifying any possible gaps in preliminary risk assessment that need to be addressed
• communicating risk-related roles and responsibilities
• providing a record of risks assessed in the event of any injury or incident during an excursion, and supporting any subsequent post-incident review.

Completing the Excursion risk register and emergency management plan

For all excursions (other than local excursions), schools must complete the mandatory Excursion risk register and emergency management plan (ERREMP) template (DOCX), editing and adding risks, controls and treatments (if needed) relevant to their excursion.

This mandatory Excursions risk register and emergency management plan (ERREMP) template contains risks associated with child safety.

Interstate-specific risks

For interstate excursions schools can, as needed, copy and paste interstate specific risks from the Example interstate camp excursion risk register and emergency management plan (DOCX) into the mandatory Excursions risk register and emergency management plan template (DOCX). Schools must consider and edit interstate-specific risks to ensure relevance for their excursion.

Adventure activities

For adventure activities (including swimming and water-based activities), schools can insert relevant risks from the Adventure activity risk register and emergency management plans into the mandatory Excursions risk register and emergency management plan (ERREMP) template (DOCX). Alternatively the Adventure activity risk register and emergency management plans can also be attached to the ERREMP.

Risk assessment process

When completing excursion risk registers, schools can use the Risk Management – Schools policy and the Risk management – schools pocket guide (PDF).

The risk assessment process must be completed during the planning of the excursion, reviewed before the commencement of the excursion, and, where appropriate or required, during the excursion.

The risk assessment process informs the planning of the event and helps determine the resources, staff and equipment required. The risk assessment process must cover the entire excursion including:

• all activities to be undertaken
• people (supervision, student behaviour, student/teacher safety or illness or other specific needs)
• environment (including excursion location or venue)
• equipment
• transportation (for example, public transport cancellations, travelling in hazardous areas, student behaviour, travel sickness).

All risks need to be evaluated using the department’s risk rating matrix. Risks rated:

• low or medium do not necessarily require further treatments and are considered acceptable – these risks should be reviewed periodically
• high or extreme will require further treatment to reduce their level of risk to a more acceptable level.

Where appropriate, it is recommended that the risk assessment process also addresses:

• risk to intended educational objectives
• any significant financial risks to the school and/or parents (for example, if an excursion needs to be cancelled).

Responsibilities and processes for treating risks must be communicated to all excursion staff before departing on the excursion.

External providers and risk management information

When engaging an external provider, schools must assess how risks associated with the activity will be identified and managed.

Schools must ensure that any external providers (including specialist instructors) are suitably qualified, experienced and competent to deliver the activity safely, including for higher-risk activities such as adventure activities (including swimming and water-based activities). This assessment informs the school’s understanding of the risks involved.

The school’s excursion risk assessment must focus on risks to students and staff and must not rely on technical risk controls managed by the provider (for example, ropes or harnesses used in abseiling). Where relevant, the use of an external provider (for example, technical risks) may be included as a control measure within the school’s risk assessment.

Schools are recommended to obtain and review risk management information from the external provider to inform their assessment. This is particularly important for higher-risk activities such as adventure activities (including swimming and water-based activities) where technical expertise is required.

Schools must not rely solely on an external provider’s risk assessment. Schools must complete their own excursion risk register and emergency management plan to ensure all risks specific to the student group, staff and school context are identified and managed. Schools may attach relevant risk management information from an external provider to their ERREMP to support a more complete understanding of risk management, however, this must not replace the school’s own assessment.

When engaging an external provider to operate amusement rides, attractions or fireworks at non-public events (that is, enrolled students only) on non-school sites, schools must also follow the Amusement Rides, Attractions and Fireworks policy, which provides further risk management guidance.