Overseas Excursions Policy

1. What is this policy about?
   1. This policy sets out requirements for schools to plan for and safely undertake overseas excursions.
   2. The policy does not cover:
      1. ACT representative teams organised by the ACT Schools Sports Council;
      2. overseas student exchanges which are arranged through private organisations;
      3. International Education Unit programs including travel arrangements; and
      4. staff travelling overseas on official business where students are not involved.
2. Policy Statement
   1. The Directorate supports overseas excursions where there is a clear educational purpose or outcome and where planned activities are not available in Australia or provide additional educational benefits compared to similar activities in Australia.
   2. Overseas excursions are optional activities. They must:
      1. have a clear educational purpose;
      2. be in the context of the total educational program of the school;
      3. be assessed and approved on a case-by-case basis as per each stage requirement, based on current information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT);
      4. be planned and conducted in accordance with the Overseas Excursions Procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants;
      5. comply with ACT Government insurance requirements.
   3. All overseas excursions will require a security briefing by the Directorate Agency Security Advisor or delegate.
   4. Proposals for overseas excursions must be fully costed and include costs for all accompanying adults and relief staff prior to approval being sought and given.
   5. Parents/caregivers are required to pay for their child’s participation in an overseas excursion.
   6. Schools must ensure that students with a disability and/or from low socio-economic backgrounds have reasonable access to overseas excursions and are not disadvantaged from participating for financial reasons.
   7. A risk assessment must be undertaken to identify risks and hazards to the safety, health or wellbeing of any student, staff or accompanying adult and to identify effective controls for minimising and managing these risks and hazards. This risk assessment must be updated regularly before departure and during the conduct of the overseas excursion to identify ongoing risks to staff, students and accompanying adults.
   8. Overseas excursions must give equal consideration to all aspects of planning and delivery including; staff qualifications and training, reconnaissance, student capability and medical details for people attending and the medical facilities during transit and location of excursion.
   9. Where overseas excursions involve physical activities, the Physical Activities in Schools Policy and procedures must also be applied.
   10. When travelling overseas, all participants are subject to all local laws and penalties, including those that may appear harsh or in conflict with Australian standards such as race, religion, and identity such as gender/sexuality. This includes extraterritorial jurisdiction where some Australian criminal laws apply. Those organising the excursion must be aware of these laws and penalties and ensure all participants are aware of how these apply to the conduct of the excursion.
3. Who does this policy apply to?
   1. This policy applies to all ACT public schools; principals, teaching and administrative staff, students, external providers and other accompanying adults.
4. Context
   1. Overseas excursions aim to provide enriching experiences for students in a variety of environments outside Australia.
   2. Overseas excursions support curriculum delivery, personal development and contribute to a positive school culture. Due to the related risks, overseas excursions are subject to mandatory procedures for approval and operation.
   3. All staff involved in the planning and conduct of overseas excursions have a duty of care to reduce the risk of reasonably foreseeable harm to students and other parties.
   4. Overseas excursions are subject to mandatory procedures for approval and operation due to the nature of the risks related to planning and conducting overseas excursions.
5. Responsibilities
   1. Responsibilities for implementation of this policy include:
      1. Deputy Director-General: is the Excursion Approval Authority for all overseas excursions, inclusive of approvals for DFAT level 2 advice and above and will refer decision to travel to the Director-General if required.
      2. Executive Group Manager School Improvement: is part of the approval line for stage 2 applications and offers advice to Executive Leader School Operations and schools.
      3. Executive Leader School Operations: is responsible for approving planning proposals for overseas excursions and escalating to the Executive Group Manager School Improvement if required.
      4. Policy Owner: The Executive Branch Manager, Governance is responsible for this policy.
      5. Principal: is responsible for ensuring the planning and conduct of overseas excursions is undertaken in accordance with all relevant policies and procedures.
      6. School Board: is responsible for approving the stage 1 proposal considering all financial aspects of the excursion to ensure that access and participation is not prevented for reasons of disability or financial disadvantage.
      7. School Operations: is responsible for the implementation of this policy when supporting schools and actions to support the planning and conduct of overseas excursions.
      8. Teacher in Charge: must comply with the Overseas Excursion Policy and Procedures to ensure the planning, conduct, and post excursion requirements have been met.
6. Monitoring and Review
   1. The Policy Owner monitors this policy. This includes an annual scan of operations and review. A full review of the policy will be conducted within a five-year period or earlier if risk advice dictates a change to procedures.
7. Contact
   1. The School Operations team is available to provide advice on school related matters concerning overseas excursions (SchoolOperations@act.gov.au).
   2. The Risk, Security and Emergency Management team within the Governance Branch is available to provide advice on security, emergency management and risks related to overseas travel (EDURMA@act.gov.au).
8. Complaints
   1. Any feedback about this policy should be raised with the policy owner. Refer to contact information above.
9. References
   1. Definitions
      • Accompanying Adults: includes teachers, school support staff, parents, activity leaders and volunteers.
      • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT): the Australian Government department that monitors international travel risks and provides up to date advice for travellers.
      • Duty of Care: a duty to, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of persons who are under the school’s care and charge (including workers and volunteers) while on the excursion.
      • Educational Purpose: refers to an outcome linked to students’ educational programs, the ACT Curriculum and/or the school educational program.
      • Education Support Office (ESO): refers to the educational support services of the Directorate that do not reside in ACT public schools (e.g., system level/corporate support).
      • Overseas Excursion: educational trip by students outside of Australian borders, under the direction of teachers, which is directly related to the curriculum of the school.
      • Physical Activities: are structured and planned learning activities involving movement that deliver skills, knowledge, understanding, fitness and/or personal and social capability as the primary pedagogy to achieve outcomes for students.
      • Teacher in Charge: Designated as a Classroom Teacher or higher classification in the Employment Agreement and is nominated by the principal as the teacher-in-charge.
   2. Legislation
      • Children and Young People Act 2008
      • Discrimination Act 1991
      • Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards)
      • Education Act 2004
      • Financial Management Act 1996 (ACT)
      • Insurance Authority Act 2005 (ACT)
      • Public Sector Management Act 1994 (ACT)
      • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
   3. Implementation Documents
      • Overseas Excursions Procedure (359kb)
   4. Related Policies and Information
      • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, (smartraveller)
      • Director General’s Instructions
      • First Aid Policy
      • Physical Activities Policy
      • Responding to Student Accidents/Incidents: Support, Reporting and Insurance Arrangements Policy
      • Risk Management Policy
      • Students with a Disability Meeting their Educational Needs Policy
      • Swimming and Water Park Aquatic Activities Policy

Overseas Excursions Policy: 00081 is the unique identifier of this document. It is the responsibility of the user to verify that this is the current and complete version of the document, available on the Directorate’s website at http://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/school_and_corporate_policies/A-Z.