On 11/07/2022 this procedure will be separated into the School excursions procedure and the International school study tours procedure. You can preview the content in the Upcoming version section below.
All state schools
This procedure outlines the responsibilities and processes for principals and school staff involved in the planning and delivery of school excursions and international school study tours (SSTs) that occur both during and outside of school hours.
School excursions and SSTs enhance students’ learning by providing opportunities for students to participate in curriculum-related activities outside the normal school routine. They vary in terms of the number of students involved, duration of the planned activity and venue/s where they are to occur. They may include both regular activities and one-off events that occur during school hours, overnight, on weekends and/or in school holidays.
To ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of students and staff, schools are required to proactively manage all aspects of excursions. The school’s duty of care to students extends to school excursions (including camps) and SSTs which are part of students’ educational programs.
Activities conducted away from schools may increase risks and therefore the standard of care required must reflect the increase in identified risks. Schools must be able to demonstrate that activities have been thoroughly planned to ensure that students, staff and others will be safe while undertaking the activity. Any reasonably foreseeable risks must have been identified and managed and there must be a planned response in case of an emergency. Documentation need not be excessive.
An excursion plan must be completed for all school excursions, either using the OneSchool Excursion planner or Excursion planner template. For SSTs the OneSchool Excursion planner must be used. Excursion plans are approved by the school principal. When more than one school is involved, principals of all participating schools approve the excursion.
Term
Definition
Duty of care
The legal obligation imposed on the department to provide a standard of reasonable care while undertaking activities that could foreseeably cause harm to others. For excursions and SSTs, schools must take all reasonable steps to manage foreseeable risks to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of its students, for example:
Excursion
A well-planned curriculum-related activity that is conducted outside of the school grounds that aims to maximise students’ learning experiences. The school maintains responsibility for the students during an excursion.
In-country homestay (SST)
In-country homestay is accommodation for students undertaking SSTs. It is organised by the educational partner to ensure accommodation is appropriate to the student’s safety and wellbeing.
In-country homestay families (SST)
In-country homestay providers are recommended by in-country educational partners to host overseas student/s in their home for school study tours: also known as Host Family.
In-country educational partners (SST)
In-country homestay families are selected by the in-country educational partner. They contribute child safety and other local information regarding the in-country homestay for the Principal to include in the travel risk management plan.
International school study tour (SST)
An excursion involving international travel for activities including, but not limited to, a curriculum-related activity, language immersion program, sporting exchange/activity or a sister-school arrangement.
Parent
As defined in the legislation governing schooling in Queensland ( Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld) Section 10 “Meaning of parent”).
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
7.0 School excursions and international school study tours
For further information, please contact your closest regional office. For international travel, contact international.travel@qed.qld.gov.au.
Uncontrolled copy. Refer to the Department of Education Policy and Procedure Register to ensure you have the most current version of this document.
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