Playground Safety

TAMARIKI SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

POLICY ON PLAYGROUND SAFETY

 

NUMBER  324

NAG 5                                                                                                            1998

 

 

RATIONALE

The school recognises that it has a duty to ensure that the playground and materials used there are safe.

 

AIMS

1.  To provide a safe environment for children's outdoor activities.

2.  To provide an environment in which children can explore risk-taking and physical challenges, and at the same time develop their own capacity to recognise dangers and their own limitations.

3.  To provide basic materials which will lend themselves to many uses and which will support all aspects of children's learning development.

4.   To encourage and ensure documentation of notifiable hazards and incidents and the regular reporting of these to the BOT

 

GUIDELINES

1. All equipment and areas should be maintained in a good state of repair.

2. The Hazards Officer should inspect the playground daily for hazards, report and document these hazards, where required, and ensure a thorough knowledge of the BOT Hazards Identification Procedure.

3.  ACC recommendations should be used as a guideline for ensuring safe surfaces etc.

4.  Earthworks and diggings should be fully supervised if the digging will produce a hole in which a person could be buried or drowned. It is expected that earthworks will be temporary and monitored for safety.

5.  Huts should be checked for safety both of construction and of materials by the hazards officer, and children encouraged to develop safe procedures in building and in pre-inspection of materials. Tree huts must have soft fall underneath and have rules for safe use established.

6.   Climbing those trees with soft fall underneath is an acceptable part of the school culture. Parent /Caregiver permission is attained for tree climbing as part of the enrolment process. Children will be informed of the trees which are approved for climbing.

8.  Members of the school community must wear sunhats in the playground during term 1 and term 4 as per the schools SunSmart policy.

 

 

DRAFTED BY:  Cawston, Kendrick, Edwards                            October 1998

ADOPTED: 1998                                          REVIEWED: 2003, 2009, 2011, 2013

REVISED: 2009, 2011