Excursions guidelines and procedures

Document title Excursions guidelines and procedures

Contact details Quality School Systems and Support
Approved by Operational Policy Subcommittee
Date approved 23 September 2020
Document review September 2021
TRM number 50:D20:77774

Version Date Author Changes made

Details in TRM notes Quality School Systems
1,2,3,4 Details in TRM notes of previous versions
of previous versions and Support
Quality School Systems Minor updates for publishing – spelling and
5 July 2017
and Support formatting
Amended to meet the Education and Care
Services National Regulations.
Quality School Systems Minor amendments including:
6 August 2020
and Support • Update to current NTG template
• Plain English amendments
• Update of titles post realignment
Minor amendments including:
• Aligning principal and teaching
principal role and responsibility
• Role clarity for QSSS
Quality School Systems • Remove requirement movement
7 April 2021
and Support requisition for category A and B
• Remove requirement of category A
and B excursions being submitted
to QSSS
• Streamlining parent consent form

Acronyms Full form

ACECQA Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority
DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
NT Northern Territory
NTG Northern Territory Government
QSSS Quality School Systems and Support
SIL School Improvement and Leadership
SSNT School Sport NT
TRM Territory Records Manager
 Excursions guidelines and procedures

Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2. Procedures ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Category A – Local area excursions and regular outings ................................................................................5
Step 1. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks approval from the principal ............................... 5
Step 2. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period ................................................................ 6
2.2. Category B – Excursions beyond the local area or overnight ........................................................................6
Step 1. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks approval from the principal ............................... 6
Step 2. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period ................................................................ 6
2.3. Category C – Interstate excursions .....................................................................................................................6
Step 1. Principal submits a memo for in-principle approval .............................................................................. 6
Step 2. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks endorsement ........................................................ 6
Step 3. Principal submits documents to the Chief Executive ........................................................................... 7
Step 4. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period ................................................................ 7
2.4. Category D – International excursions ...............................................................................................................7
Step 1. Principal submits a memo for in-principle approval .............................................................................. 8
Step 2. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks endorsement ........................................................ 8
Step 3. Principal submits documents to the Chief Executive ........................................................................... 8
Step 4. Principal submits a Ministerial Brief to the Minister for Education ................................................... 9
Step 5. Register participants with DFAT ............................................................................................................... 9
Step 6. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period ................................................................ 9
3. Management of excursions .......................................................................................................................................... 9
3.1. Accidents .................................................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2. Alcohol....................................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3. Billeting...................................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3.1. Parents of students ........................................................................................................................................ 9
3.3.2. Host schools/families................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3.3. Teacher in charge ......................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3.4. Billeted students ........................................................................................................................................... 10
3.4. Consent forms ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.4.1. Consent for excursions without accompanying teachers .................................................................... 12
3.5. Duty of care........................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.6. External providers ................................................................................................................................................ 12
3.7. Insurance ................................................................................................................................................................ 13
3.8. Records................................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.9. Risk assessment and management ................................................................................................................... 14
3.10. Supervision - teacher-to-student ratios ........................................................................................................ 14
3.11. Transportation .................................................................................................................................................... 15
3.11.1. Use of private vehicles – school staff/parents..................................................................................... 15
3.11.2. Use of private vehicles - student ............................................................................................................ 15
 Excursions guidelines and procedures

3.11.3. Transportation of preschool children ..................................................................................................... 15

3.12. Working with children clearance notices...................................................................................................... 16
4. Forms/templates and attachments ......................................................................................................................... 16
4.1. Forms/templates .................................................................................................................................................. 16
4.2. Attachments .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
 Excursions guidelines and procedures

These guidelines and procedures part of the Excursions information available on the Department of
Education School policies webpage in the Excursions section. 1 Read this document with the Excursions
policy 1 and the Official travel policy, which is available to staff only on the Education intranet.

1. Introduction
Excursions can range from a short visit of less than one hour to a number of days or weeks and can be in
locations close to the school, intrastate, interstate or overseas. For the purposes of this policy and
guidelines, excursions are categorised as:

• Category A – Local area excursions

• Category B – Excursions beyond the local area or overnight
• Category C – Interstate excursions
• Category D – International excursions
Refer to the approval steps and documentation requirements below for each category of excursion and
ensure the stipulated timeframes are met. A summary of the approvals process and paperwork
requirement for each excursion category has been provided in Appendix A.

Strict timeframes apply for interstate and overseas excursions, noting that all schools are required to
submit a forecast of intended Category C and D excursions to their Director QSSS.

2. Procedures
Excursion specific documents, forms and templates outlined within these procedures are available to staff
in the eLearn site on the Education intranet or can be completed online by staff on SharePoint.

2.1. Category A – Local area excursions and regular outings

Step 1. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks approval from the principal
The teacher in charge submits the following documents and seeks approval from the principal:

• Excursion application form – Category A/B

• Parent consent forms
• Self-inspection checklist
• ACECQA Excursion Risk Assessment – mandatory for any preschool student on an excursion
• Swimming forms – if applicable
Preschools must use the ACECQA Excursions Risk Assessment form template to ensure compliance with
the Education and Care Services National Regulations. 2

For recurring excursions and regular outings where the circumstances relevant to the risk assessment are
the same on each outing, for example a swimming program, the approval steps and documentation only
need to be completed once every 12 months.

1
https://education.nt.gov.au/policies/excursions
2
https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2011-0653

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

Step 2. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period

All excursion documents must be retained by the school for 45 years from the date of excursion. See
section 3.8 of this document for further information.

2.2. Category B – Excursions beyond the local area or overnight

Category B includes any excursion that requires overnight accommodation, regardless of the distance from
the school.

Step 1. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks approval from the principal
The teacher in charge must submit the following documents and seek approval from the principal:

• Excursion application form – Category A/B

• Parent consent forms
• Self-inspection checklist
• ACECQA Excursion Risk Assessment – mandatory for any preschool student on an excursion
• Swimming forms – if applicable
Preschools must use the ACECQA Excursions Risk Assessment form template to ensure compliance with
the Education and Care Services National Regulations. 3

For recurring excursions and regular outings where the circumstances relevant to the risk assessment are
the same on each outing, for example a swimming program, the approval steps and documentation only
need to be completed once every 12 months.

Step 2. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period

All excursion documents must be retained by the school for 45 years from the date of excursion. See
section 3.8 of this document for further information.

2.3. Category C – Interstate excursions

Step 1. Principal submits a memo for in-principle approval
The principal must submit a memo to the Director Quality School Systems and Support (QSSS) for in-
principle approval by the Senior Director School Improvement and Leadership (SIL). The memo must be
submitted by email to excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au.

The memo must be submitted a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the excursion date.

Step 2. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks endorsement

The teacher in charge must submit the following documents and seek endorsement from the principal:

• Excursion application form – Category C/D

• Parent consent form

3
https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2011-0653

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

• Self-inspection checklist
• Movement requisition form
• Swimming forms – if applicable
• Evidence of domestic travel insurance purchased by each person travelling.
Documents must be submitted a minimum of 6 weeks prior to the excursion date.

One movement requisition form is to be completed for all school staff and accompanying adults on the
excursion, including principals, teachers, school council staff and parents.

Step 3. Principal submits documents to the Chief Executive

The principal must submit the following documents and seek approval from the Chief Executive:

• Excursion Application Form – Category C/D

• Parent consent form
• Self-inspection checklist
• Movement requisition form
• Swimming forms – if applicable
• Evidence of domestic travel insurance purchased by each person travelling.
The documents must be submitted by email to excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au for approval through:

• Director QSSS
• General Manager QSSS
• Deputy Chief Executive Education NT
Documents must be submitted a minimum of 6 weeks prior to the excursion date.

One movement requisition form is to be completed for all school staff and accompanying adults on the
excursion, including principals, teachers, school council staff and parents.

Step 4. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period

All excursion documents must be retained by the school for 45 years from the date of excursion. See
section 3.8 of this document for further information.

2.4. Category D – International excursions

All schools must:

• seek in-principle approval from Senior Director SIL through the Director QSSS, by email to
excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au using the In-principle approval memo template
• provide forecasts of intended international and interstate travel to the Director QSSS
• obtain the Minister for Education’s approval prior to making any formal travel arrangements, as per
the approval steps provided below.

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

When seeking in-principle approval, the teacher in charge must consult the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade (DFAT) Smartraveller website 4 to identify DFAT’s current travel advice for the particular
destination, including visa requirements and recommended vaccinations. The teacher in charge must
continue to monitor the advice given by DFAT regarding security in the destination country in the lead up
to, and during the school excursion.

Proposals to take students on school excursions to other countries other than those categorised by DFAT
as Level 1 – meaning to exercise normal safety precautions – will be considered on a case-by-case basis by
the Chief Executive, based on advice from International Education and Non-Government School Services.

Step 1. Principal submits a memo for in-principle approval

The principal must submit an in-principle memo through International Education and Non-Government
School Services to the Director QSSS by email to excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au for endorsement
and approval by the Senior Director SIL.

The memo must be submitted a minimum of 16 weeks prior to the excursion date.

Step 2. Teacher in charge submits documents and seeks endorsement

The teacher in charge must submit the following documents and seek endorsement from the principal:

• Excursion application form – Category C/D

• Parent consent form
• Self-inspection checklist
• Movement requisition form
• Swimming forms – if applicable
• Evidence of international travel insurance purchased by each person travelling.

Step 3. Principal submits documents to the Chief Executive

The principal must submit the following documents and seek approval from the Chief Executive:

• Excursion Application Form – Category C/D

• Parent consent form
• Self-inspection checklist
• Movement requisition form
• Swimming forms – if applicable
• Evidence of international travel insurance purchased by each person travelling.
The documents must be submitted by email to excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au for approval through:

• Director QSSS
• General Manager QSSS
• Deputy Chief Executive Education NT

4
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

Documents must be submitted a minimum of 14 weeks prior to the excursion date.

One movement requisition form is to be completed for all school staff and accompanying adults on the
excursion, including principals, teachers, school council staff and parents.

Step 4. Principal submits a Ministerial Brief to the Minister for Education

The principal must submit a Ministerial Brief – International Excursion to the Minister by email to
excursions.doe@education.nt.gov.au through:

• Director QSSS
• General Manager QSSS
• Deputy Chief Executive Education NT
• Chief Executive.
The Ministerial brief must be submitted a minimum of 14 weeks prior to the excursion date and include:

• Attachment A – International travel itinerary

Step 5. Register participants with DFAT

International excursion participants must be registered with DFAT. Visit the Smartraveller4 website for
more information.

Step 6. Retain the excursion documents for the prescribed period

All excursion documents must be retained by the school for 45 years from the date of excursion. See
section 3.8 of this document for further information.

3. Management of excursions
3.1. Accidents
The Recording and reporting student injuries guidelines and procedures 5 must be followed for all accidents
occurring during an excursion.

3.2. Alcohol
Accompanying adults and students are not permitted to consume, possess or be under the influence of
alcohol whilst on an excursion. Accompanying adults who act as a driver of a vehicle conveying students
during an excursion must have a zero blood alcohol level whilst undertaking driving duties.

3.3. Billeting
Where students are required to be billeted on an excursion, the teacher in charge must ensure the
following.

3.3.1. Parents of students

5
https://education.nt.gov.au/policies/recording-and-reporting-student-injuries

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

• parents are briefed in writing and where possible, face-to-face prior to the parents consenting to
their child being billeted
• parents must be provided with contact details of the host family and be able to make contact with
their child as necessary.

3.3.2. Host schools/families

• families accepting billets are deemed suitable by the host school and have met all appropriate local
education authority guidelines to ensure student safety and wellbeing. This information must be
communicated in writing to the teacher in charge and must indicate the household members do not
have criminal convictions that may preclude the host family from billeting a student
• accommodation is provided that includes:
o a private bedroom or one shared with a student of the same gender
o private bathing and toilet facilities.

3.3.3. Teacher in charge

• consent forms are signed by the parents of students to be billeted – including up-to-date medical
information
• is notified of any travel by the student involving an overnight stay during the period of the billet
• is contactable for the duration of the billet
• will contact the students regularly during the period of the billet
• has access to transport in order to visit the students at short notice
• will arrange alternative accommodation for students who need to be relocated.

3.3.4. Billeted students

• have reasonable means to contact the teacher and their parents
• have emergency contact details at all times.
It is recommended that principals make contact with the host school principal to confirm the suitability of
the host families and billeting arrangements.

3.4. Consent forms

Written parental consent is required for all excursions. Consent forms need to provide enough information
about specific activities to allow parents to make informed decisions about their child’s participation. If
applicable, Annexures 1 and/or 2 should be completed by parents. Parents must be given the opportunity
to provide relevant information about the child’s care needs, as well as advising the school if they do not
give permission for their child to participate in some or all of the activities listed.

Consent given by parents for children to attend excursions does not indemnify the school nor relieve
supervisors of their duty of care responsibilities.

Consent for recurring excursions/regular outings to specified local venues for the same purpose is only
required to be obtained once in a 12 month period, providing the circumstances of the outing have not
changed since the risk assessment was completed.

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

The teacher in charge should be mindful of the possibility of changes to students’ health/medical
requirements from one week to the next. Parents must be reminded of their obligation to notify the school
of any changes in consent to their child participating in recurring excursions / regular outings.

When advising parents of excursions and recurring excursions / regular outings the following details
should be included as appropriate:

• the child’s name

• purpose of the excursion
• times and dates of departure and return
• a description of the proposed destination
• details of activities to be undertaken by the child
• mode of travel and route, including supervision available
• number of children likely to be attending the excursion
• level of supervision and ratio of educators to children
• anticipated number of staff members and other adults that will accompany and supervise the
children
• names of teachers and adults accompanying the group
• accommodation arrangements
• equipment and clothing needed
• details of cost
• special rules applicable to the excursion
• information stating a risk assessment has been completed and is available if required
• details of any activity where there may be a greater risk of student injury, for example abseiling
• means of contact with the excursion group, for example mobile number and contact details of
teacher in charge of excursion.

Any consent form should allow the parent to clearly indicate that they:

• consent to the student taking part in the excursion/regular outing and the specified activities
• agree to the accommodation arrangements specified, for example billeting
• provide details of special medical, physical or dietary needs, or other problems
• authorise the teacher in charge to make arrangements for the welfare of the student – including
first aid, medical or surgical treatment, in an emergency
• agree to meet the costs associated with any emergency arrangements made by the teacher in
charge – including travel
• agree to the student being under the teacher's authority for the duration of the excursion, and to
the teacher being empowered to return the student home at the expense of the parent if the
teacher considers that circumstances warrant such action
• agree, where appropriate, to the student travelling by private car, driven by a teacher, parent or
other approved person, but not a student
• accept liability for loss, theft or damage to their child’s property while on excursion, and

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

• note that the department will take all reasonable steps to protect students against reasonably
foreseeable risks of injury or harm.
Copies of consent forms must be taken on excursions as they contain information that may be needed in
the event of an accident or illness.

3.4.1. Consent for excursions without accompanying teachers

Where an excursion is planned and supervised by a person not employed as a teacher, for example a
trainer, department employee or school council employee, and no teacher is accompanying the excursion –
in addition to the consent form, parents must be informed in writing that the supervisor is solely
responsible during the excursion and that no teacher will be present.

3.5. Duty of care

Teachers have a responsibility to exercise proper care and supervision for the duration of the excursion.
The duty of care requires taking reasonable steps to protect the student against risks of injury or harm that
are reasonably foreseeable. It is the responsibility of principals to ensure that all teachers are aware of
their responsibilities.

A teacher cannot delegate their duty of care responsibilities to anyone. If a professional organisation is
involved in a school excursion, the teacher should make general enquiries as to the safety of the activity
and equipment and the expertise of the staff running the activity.

Where a trainer has been nominated by a principal, the trainer cannot delegate their duty of care and has
the responsibility to exercise proper care and supervision for the duration of the excursion.

A first aid kit must be taken on all excursions and it is strongly recommended that at least one of the
accompanying members of staff holds a current First Aid Certificate.

In regards to excursions and regular outings for preschools, at least one staff member must accompany the
students or be immediately available, who has all of:

• an approved first aid qualification

• anaphylaxis management training
• asthma management training.
Access to drinking water must be available for all excursions and parents must be advised of the need to
supply students with relevant safety precautions such as sunscreen, hat and covered shoes.

3.6. External providers

Where private providers are used as instructors for specific excursion activities, such as rock climbing and
sailing, the principal must ensure that the provider acknowledges, in writing, that the following criteria are
met:

• meets industry standards and is appropriately accredited

• staff are trained to industry standards required to supervise the activity and are appropriately
accredited
• has a risk management and/or safety plan relevant to the activity
• holds appropriate and current insurance, including public liability, at a minimum of $10 million.
The school must request and obtain a copy of the private provider’s insurance policy.

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

Parents must be made aware of any disclaimer statements from private providers and make their own
informed decision about whether to consent to their child’s participation.

3.7. Insurance
The Northern Territory Government (NTG) self-insurance arrangements encompass public liability, workers
compensation, personal accident and injury risks and legal liabilities arising in relation to NTG schools,
school councils, and their respective employees and volunteers.

The Excursions policy1 and these guidelines require that schools conduct appropriate planning and risk
management to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to protect students against reasonably
foreseeable risks of injury or harm arising from school related activities.

Financial responsibility for medical and other costs incurred in emergency situations which includes the
cost of transport to a medical facility or to their home, or where a decision is taken to return a student
home, rests with the parents of the student. A parent may wish to take out additional insurance to cover
such costs.

While travel insurance for overseas and interstate excursions is compulsory, the need for commercial
travel insurance is highly recommended when planning all excursions. Where travel insurance is arranged,
the value of premiums forms part of the cost of the excursion.

All Department of Education employees, corporate and school-based, can access the whole-of-department
international travel insurance policy when they are travelling overseas for work. As such, department
employees are not required to purchase individual travel insurance for overseas business trips. This policy
does not cover students or accompanying adults on international excursions.

Department employees are required to obtain written advice from International Education and Non-
Government School Services confirming that they are covered by the whole-of-department international
travel insurance policy as part of the Overseas Travel Checklist.

The NTG self-insurance arrangements do not extend to suppliers, contractors or consultants engaged by
the department. These individuals or organisations are required to carry their own insurance cover.
Certificates of currency must be obtained from suppliers, contractors or consultants where they are
involved in school related activities.

3.8. Records
All excursion documentation must be retained by the school for 45 years after the excursion has been
completed. This includes, but is not limited to itineraries, student details, completed consent forms, risk
management plans, travel arrangements, movement requisition forms, incident records, and student health
and medical information.

Records pertaining to serious incidents, such as a serious injury or death, must be kept as a permanent
record.

For further information refer to the NTG Record Disposal Schedule for School Management which is
available to staff on the Education intranet.

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

3.9. Risk assessment and management

A Risk management plan – found within the application form – and a Self-inspection checklist must be
completed for all proposed excursions. These documents are available to staff on the Education intranet.

It must be noted that preschools must always use the ACECQA Excursions risk assessment template that is
available on the ACECQA website. 6

Swimming, water safety or aquatic activities must adhere to the School swimming, water safety program
and aquatic activities policy and procedures. 7 Read about swimming, water safety and aquatics activity
policy on the department’s School policies webpage in the Swimming and water safety section.7

For recurring excursions/regular outings where the circumstances relevant to the risk assessment are the
same on each outing, approval, risk assessment, self-inspection checklist and parental consent only needs
to be obtained once every 12 months. Schools must be mindful of the need to ensure that no significant
changes have occurred which may have affected the content of the initial documents, for example student
medical information.

Excursion venues can be assessed using the criteria provided in the self-inspection checklist. Where
schools are unable to complete an inspection by visiting the location, for example interstate or
international excursions, information on the suitability of the venue can be obtained via:

• other schools that have visited the location in the last six months
• government/education authorities in the local area
• external providers conducting tours and the like.
When conducting outdoor educational activities, schools are encouraged to visit the Victorian Department
of Education and Training’s Outdoor Activities and Working Outdoors 8 website regarding best practice risk
management strategies.

3.10. Supervision - teacher-to-student ratios

Decisions regarding supervision requirements and teacher/student ratios should take into account factors
such as the age of the students, their maturity, location of the excursion, specific needs of students,
anticipated behaviour and the nature of the activities to be undertaken. Principals may implement
enhanced measures to cater for the safety of students.

Minimum teacher to student ratios are provided in the following table, although a lower ratio is
recommended.

Table 1. Teacher/Student ratios – minimum requirements:

Excursion type Minimum ratio
Preschool day excursions - see note below 1:11
Primary school day excursions 1:15
Middle school day excursions 1:27
Senior school day excursions 1:27

6
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/resources/applications/sample-forms-and-templates
7
https://education.nt.gov.au/policies/swimming-and-water-safety
8
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/outdoor-activities-and-working-outdoors/policy

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

Excursion type Minimum ratio

Overnight excursions – Mixed parties should be supervised by both a male and 1:15
female supervisor
Interstate and international excursions – Must have minimum of two supervising 1:15
adults, one of whom must be a teacher. Mixed gender should be supervised by both a
male and female supervisor.

It must be noted in regards to regulated preschools, parents cannot be included in meeting the minimum
ratio requirements.

Small groups of students travelling Interstate – may be appropriate for one teacher to accompany a group
of students of mixed gender students or for a teacher to accompany a group of students of the opposite
gender whilst travelling providing supplementary supervision is arranged at the interstate
venue/accommodation and that all duty of care requirements are met.

For aquatic excursions, teacher-to-student ratios as detailed in the School swimming, water safety and
aquatics activities policy must be observed.

Where an activity may be considered hazardous or the student group are unskilled, ratios should be varied
in accordance with Risk assessment and management at section 3.9.

School staff, parents and volunteers may be used to meet the minimum ratio and gender balance
requirements however, the teacher in charge must ensure that participants have successfully completed
the Working with Children screening process prior to the excursion.

3.11. Transportation
3.11.1. Use of private vehicles – school staff/parents
Where private vehicles are used, the teacher in charge of the excursion must ensure that the vehicle is
roadworthy, currently registered, has fully comprehensive insurance, the driver has an appropriate and
valid NT driver’s licence and, the number of passengers does not exceed the seat belt carrying capacity of
the vehicle.

Parental consent must be obtained, in advance, where it is necessary for students to travel in private cars
driven by teachers, parents or other approved persons.

3.11.2. Use of private vehicles - student

In very rare circumstances, students in senior schools may use their own private transport, with the same
requirements as per the use of staff/parent vehicles. Teachers should carefully monitor these
arrangements including ensuring that the student's licence is valid, vehicle is currently registered, and that
parental consent is obtained. Students must not transport other students regardless of written permission
being provided.

3.11.3. Transportation of preschool children

The National Regulations2 require preschools to address risks associated with excursion transportation.
These risks are included in the ACECQA Excursions Risk Assessment template6, and require preschools to
ensure that each child is appropriately secured and restrained, in accordance with the laws of the NT.

Seatbelt and safety restraint requirements are dependent on the type of vehicle being used for the
excursion. In the NT all children under seven years of age must be secured in an approved child restraint or

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 Excursions guidelines and procedures

booster seat when travelling in a vehicle that seats 12 or less people – including the driver. For further
information read the Child restraints frequently asked questions on the Road Safety NT website. 9

3.12. Working with children clearance notices

The Working with children clearance notices (Ochre Card) policy applies to all accompanying persons over
15 years of age on the excursion. Read about working with children policy and procedures on the School
policies webpage in the Working with children clearance notices section. 10

Note that a parent may be exempt from the Ochre Card requirement where the parent:

• is only engaged as a voluntary worker, and

• is a parent of at least one of the children with whom they may have contact with, such as a worker,
and
• does not participate in any overnight stays, and
o is at all times under the direct supervision of someone who holds a current Ochre Card and
o is not required by the principal to hold a current Ochre Card.

4. Forms/templates and attachments

The following templates should be used to assist in providing the required documentation. While these can
be amended to suit the excursion, ensure that all details required by the policy and guidelines are included.
These documents can be accessed by staff on the department’s eLearn Education intranet site.

4.1. Forms/templates
• Excursion application – Category A/B
• Excursion application – Category C/D
• Memo for in-principle approval
• Ministerial Brief – including International travel itinerary
• Parental consent form
• Movement requisition form
• Swimming form

4.2. Attachments
• Attachment A - International travel itinerary
• Self-inspection checklist
• ACECQA Excursion Risk Assessment – mandatory for any preschool student on an excursion

9
https://roadsafety.nt.gov.au/safety-topics/seatbelts
10
https://education.nt.gov.au/policies/working-with-children-clearance-notices-ochre-cards

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