A major review of Australia's national curriculum has revealed that the administration surrounding excursions and the potential legal claims that may arise from off-site activities are deterring many teachers from taking their students on excursions.
The release of the final report from the Review of the Australian Curriculum (Final Report) on 12 October 2014 revealed many findings, including the worrying trend reported by news.com.au that excursions are being dumped by teachers 'too frightened to take their students outside of school grounds because of the threat of being sued'.
The Federal Government (Government) established a Review of the Australian Curriculum in January 2014. The Review evaluated the robustness, independence and balance of the process and development of the Australian Curriculum. It also sought to understand whether the Australian Curriculum is delivering what students need, parents expect and the nation requires in an increasingly competitive world.
Sadly, as illustrated through recent high-profile tragedies (including a student drowning and another dying from anaphylaxis) the fear that things can go wrong on excursions is real where schools do not take appropriate steps to identify risks and manage them appropriately.
As a result all schools are required to, undertake extensive planning for excursions including the conduct and documentation of risk assessments with respect to each aspect of the excursion including transport arrangements, venue related risks, accommodation, student abilities and medical conditions. Once the risks have been identify schools then need to implement risk mitigation strategies including those relating to supervision, communication and critical incident response procedures.
The reality is that there is always the need to balance the dual priorities of education and student safety.
The feedback received by reviews prompted them to state there is 'a strong case for jurisdictions to address these matters, especially through more comprehensive pre-service education and training, and in-service professional development'. The truth is that training will only help to a certain extent. The reality is that schools need to develop more efficient ways in which to manage the administration associated with planning and managing excursions.