Have Your Say - Top Risks for Schools in 2024
Subscribe
Article

‘After’ COVID-19: Safe Excursions for Schools

10/11/21
Resources
NSW

In Australia, the COVID-19 double-dosed vaccination rate recently reached 80 per cent. This has led generally to governments across the country relaxing rules around certain activities, allowing Australians to start shifting back towards our pre-pandemic reality. For many schools, it provides the exciting opportunity to engage in educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom again, such as sports, creative arts, off-site academic and cultural activities and camps. However, with some restrictions still in place, it is important that schools stay mindful of managing both the typical and COVID-19 specific risks associated with these excursions and activities. This article will discuss current key COVID-19 restrictions across Australia, their impact on school excursions, and how schools can manage these risks to better keep students, staff, and other stakeholders safe.

 

Restrictions Around Australia

The rules for each state and territory in relation to excursions vary significantly in relation to which activities can be carried out and how they can be run. Below is a summary of current restrictions for popular excursion activities as well as interstate and international travel across Australia.

 

The Australian Capital Territory

Under section 10 of the Public Health (Restricted Activities) Emergency Direction 2021 (No 5), schools must follow the Health Guidelines for Schools and Early Childhood and Education services published on the Education Directorate’s website. Up until 12 November 2021, if conditions do not change, the current Guidelines allow essential excursions involving individual classes or year groups to take place, especially where it forms a key part of the curriculum. From that date onwards, schools can also run extracurricular activities, such as sport, assemblies, performances and after school and inter-school activities, on campus or off-site in line with public health directions. Under the current rules, a large number of places are open to visit, including galleries, museums, historic sites, outdoor attractions such as zoos, camp sites, cinemas, events and performance venues, subject to key requirements including mask wearing. Additionally, people visiting from New South Wales and Victoria no longer require exemptions prior to travel into the ACT, with those from other states and territories potentially being soon to follow. As for international travel, Australians can now go overseas without exemption if they are fully vaccinated and are able to re-enter the ACT subject to certain requirements.

 

New South Wales

The NSW Government recently updated its advice for families stating that excursions should only take place if they are during the day, school groups have sole use of the venue for indoor excursions, transportation to and from venues is as a group, and COVID-safe requirements are met for both the specific type of venue visited and generally. School sports are allowed including inter-school sports outside of school hours. Additionally, activities such as visiting art galleries, museums, libraries, cinemas, theatres, musical halls, concert halls, zoos, and aquariums are allowed for fully vaccinated and exempt people. As for interstate and international travel, people are free to travel to and from NSW subject to certain requirements, such as completing a NSW entry declaration if they have recently been in an area of concern.

 

The Northern Territory

There is limited guidance on school excursions specifically in the Northern Territory. However, many activities including sports, visiting art galleries, entertainment venues, libraries, and parks remain open to the public subject to COVID-safe requirements such as checking in to premises. Regarding interstate and international travel, the rules are a bit stricter. Notably, the Territory is not allowing in any visitors from COVID-19 hotspots. Additionally, all international travellers must quarantine for 14 days on arrival back into Australia at their own expense, regardless of vaccination status.

 

Queensland

According to Department of Education information for state schools, excursions and camps, as well as intra-school and inter-school sports are allowed, as long as the school is not affected by lockdown restrictions. Some of the requirements also apply more broadly as they link out to other Queensland Government requirements. Activities such as sports, museums, art galleries, and camping are open to schools in line with Queensland’s Restrictions on Businesses, Activities and Undertakings Direction (No. 29). Regarding interstate and international travel, current restrictions mean people visiting from COVID-19 hotspots may not be allowed to enter the state except for essential reasons. Additionally, while Queensland is accepting international travellers, most must quarantine on arrival at their own expense, with the exception of travellers from New Zealand’s South Island.

 

South Australia

There is limited specific guidance on excursions for South Australia, apart from a Department of Education recommendation that students older than 11 and staff should follow its Department of Health guidelines on excursions, which may be off-site. Therefore, activities including sports, cinemas, live performances, zoos, galleries, and museums are allowed to be undertaken in line with current public health directions. As for interstate and international travel, the current rules are quite strict. Notably, travellers from states and territories including the ACT, NSW and Victoria are prohibited from entering South Australia unless they are essential travellers or permitted arrivals.

 

Tasmania

According to the Tasmanian Government's website, excursions may still take place as long as they comply with Tasmania’s public health guidelines. As such, a wide range of activities including sports, camping, cinemas, theatres, libraries, galleries, museums, historic sites, zoos, and aquariums can be undertaken. Notably, while interstate and international travel is currently allowed to and from Tasmania, the state’s Department of Education has advised that cross-border excursions for state schools are not occurring at this time.

 

Victoria

The Department of Education and Training recently released an operations guide for state schools saying that camps could resume, and the current Open Premises Directions (No. 4) discusses the hiring of accommodation and other venues by schools. Accordingly, activities including sports, cinemas, theatres, and zoos are now available to schools again. Regarding interstate and international travel, various rules are in place. For example, travellers from anywhere within or outside of Australia must apply for permits to enter the state.

 

Western Australia

According to the government-funded website Healthdirect Australia, excursions and camps are currently permitted in the state, subject to density limits and the state’s COVID-19 health guidelines. As such, activities including sports and other forms of recreation remain open to schools. As for interstate and international travel, the state currently allows people to cross their borders subject to strict conditions.

 

Impact on Excursions

Carefully managing the risks associated with excursions has always been both a high priority and a significant challenge for schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an additional risk source for all excursions and made the task of keeping students and staff safe even more complex. However, the benefits of these educational experiences for students in a time where physical classroom learning and interaction have been severely limited means that many schools will be planning and undertaking excursions as soon as they can while complying with relevant COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines.

Whether they occur locally, interstate, or beyond, the key impacts of COVID-19 on school excursions include:

  • the venues that schools can visit and the activities that they may undertake in their own state, territory, or other jurisdictions
  • the need for proof of vaccination for students, staff, and/or volunteers for certain activities, if exemptions do not apply
  • the need for the compulsory recording of details for contact tracing for certain activities
  • the need for personal protective equipment such as masks to be worn on transport and/or at certain venues, if exemptions do not apply
  • quarantine requirements when travelling between jurisdictions.

 

Risk Management

To manage excursion risks and meet their duty of care, health and safety, public health regulation, and other legal and regulatory obligations, schools need to carefully plan and execute a risk management process. During these times, it is particularly important that schools:

  • keep track of and prepare as early as possible to comply with the specific rules that apply in each jurisdiction they may be visiting, such as the ACT, NSW, NT, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, or WA rules
  • check that all internal and external stakeholders are compliant with COVID-19 protocols in the states and territories that they are visiting regarding, for example, vaccinations and cleaning
  • regularly communicate with students, their parents/guardians, staff, and other members of the school community about excursion activities and safety, particularly as circumstances may be changing more frequently due to COVID-19
  • support eligible and non-exempt members of the school community to become fully vaccinated to better protect the safety of those around them, including those currently unable to receive vaccinations, such as those aged 11 and under
  • maintain a well-documented process of risk assessment and management undertaken before and during each event, respectively.

 

What Should Your School Do?

While the easing of some restrictions across Australia poses an exciting opportunity for excursions to begin again, schools need to stay vigilant to keep their community as safe as possible. To manage both the typical and COVID-19 specific excursion risks, schools should ideally review their current excursion policies and procedures, to ensure that they can effectively plan and use risk controls as needed. Further, it is in their interests to actively keep track of any regulatory changes for the jurisdictions that they wish to visit moving forward.

 

Share this
About the Author

Jaclyn Ling

Jaclyn is a Legal Content Associate at Ideagen CompliSpace. A recent graduate from Macquarie University in Sydney, she holds a double Bachelor's degree in Commerce and Law (Honours).

Resources you may like

Article
Sextortion: A Growing Concern for Schools

Trigger warning: This article references sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide.

Read More
Article
Changes to the Australian Consumer Law – What Schools Need to Know

Many schools rely on standard form contracts to avoid the time and cost of drafting and negotiating...

Read More
Article
The SG Wrap: February 29, 2024

The information in the SG Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that...

Read More

Want School Governance delivered to your inbox weekly?

Sign up today!
Subscribe