Without doubt the safety of your child is of the utmost importance to you as parents and to us as a school. With that in mind it is appropriate to outline our combined duty of care because we all have responsibilities to see your child is safe.

BEFORE SCHOOL

With children coming to school it is the parent’s responsibility to see they arrive at school safely. School encourages safety measures such as requesting children wear helmets when on scooters and bikes. Schools and the Police run safety programmes to teach children road sense and safety.

If a child is going to be absent from school or will be late to school it is the responsibility of parents to advise the school office. When students are unaccounted for at the start of a day, school will contact you to check on the child’s absence and safety. You will appreciate that this can take some time when a number of children are either late to school or we have not been advised of their absence.

When a child is at school by 8.45am this allows them to unpack their bag and greet the teacher and other students ready to start class at 8.50am. This allows for a settled start to the day.

AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY 2.50pm

After school the duty of care becomes a shared responsibility. This is particularly relevant to children that have just started school.

For example when young children end their school day it is expected that parents or family or a caregiver are at school to collect the child when the bell goes.

Some arrange to meet them at the gate or at a point around the school so that the child starts to grow in independence and responsibility.

If a parent or caregiver is going to be late to collect their child when the bell goes then the duty of care implies that the school would be rung advising when the child will be collected.

This shared duty of care helps to ensure the safety of the child.